High School Missions
by Black Angel
Summary: When Manticore resurfaces, it does so by taking over a school. Now Logan, Max and Alec have to go undercover and find out what's going on, by enrolling back in high school. MA (It works now, sorry about that.)
1. Default Chapter

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I really don't care anymore. To hell with everything, so sue me!  
Rating: PG-13 for now, it's going up to R in future chapters  
Summary: When Manticore resurfaces, it does so by taking over a school. Now Logan, Max and Alec have to go undercover and find out what's going on, by enrolling back in high school.  
  
PAIRING: Here's how this is going to work, I can write for either M/L or M/A so, when you review, tell me the pairing of your choice, just a small ml or ma will do. The couple that gets the most votes will be the one that predominates on the next chapter. After some chapters, the couple with the most votes will be the one which takes over the story and gets the ending! I hope you like it and if you don't agree with one of the couples keep reading and vote! There will be no bashing and nothing way too blunt. This first chapter is impartial  
  
A/N: I wrote this very quickly, I just wanted to know if it would work so, I don't usually write like this and I swear it'll get better on future chapters. This story takes place during Season 2, around the middle or something  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Course of Action  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
  
"Alec!" Max yelled around Jam Pony  
  
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP  
  
"ARGH!" Max yanked the beeper from her bag and threw it across the room  
  
"Hey! Careful!" Normal dodged out of the way as the beeper swooshed past him "Get to work, bip bip bip!"  
  
"Boo, are you ok?" Cindy asked Max  
  
"Have you seen Alec?" Max looked around "Normal, is Alec on a run?"  
  
"Not that I know, he's supposed to be around here but you shouldn't. Here, hot run" Normal tossed a package at her  
  
"I'll get to it as soon as I find him" Max dropped the package on a bench and yelled even louder "ALEC!"  
  
"I'm right here Max" Alec appeared behind her out of nowhere  
  
Max jumped "Jesus Alec, where the hell have you been? I've been asking around for you! And your cell phone is off, what's the point of having one when it's..."  
  
Alec held up his phone "Dead battery. What's wrong? Is there a special reason you where looking for me or did you just needed to see me desperately?" He gave her a cocky grin  
  
"Logan needs us, he's been blowing up my pager, said it was urgent" Max informed him  
  
"What is it now? A kitten trapped on a tree?" Alec pretended to yawn   
  
"He said it was extremely important and that he needed both of us right away" Max whispered  
  
"Logan is so melodramatic" Alec commented but he was already climbing his bike "Let's go get this over with"  
  
*************  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"In here Max!"  
  
Max and Alec followed the sound of Logan's voice to the office. He was typing furiously and talking on the phone  
  
"Are you sure about this? How? Really? Ok, thank you very much. I'll let Eyes Only know" Logan hung up and turned to the two transgenics standing behind him  
  
"Logan what is it? You sounded so urgent" Max dropped her bag and reached for Logan's wheelchair  
  
"Wait, not here. Let's go into the living room" Logan stood up and motioned for them to move  
  
Max and Alec sat side by side on the couch while Logan sat on a chair  
  
"There is a problem. One of my sources called and said that his sister's daughter was thrown out of school for no apparent reason"  
  
"And that concern us how exactly?" Alec tapped his foot impatiently  
  
Logan glared at him "He checked out the school. It's very exclusive, he had never heard of it. He thought something didn't quite fit so he called me. I checked some stuff out with some other contacts of mine and found out something rather disturbing"  
  
"What is it Logan?" Max asked when she saw him hesitate  
  
"The school is run by Manticore people"  
  
"What? Why would they do that?" Max jumped up and paced around the room  
  
"I think... I think that, with Manticore gone, they are attempting to mess around with genes after birth, with grown kids. But first they have to control their minds. Apparently my contact's niece never adjusted, so they made her leave"  
  
"Logan, are you sure about this? It seems so far fetched" Alec leaned forward in his seat  
  
"I'm pretty sure. It's a boarding school, they have access to the kids 24/7"  
  
"And exactly how are they brain washing this kids?" Max was now standing by the window, hiding her face from view  
  
"That's what I don't know. But we have to stop them" Logan got up and followed Max to the window, he stood behind her, making sure not to touch her  
  
"So, what do we do? Barge in there? Torch the place down?" Alec asked  
  
"No, we can't do that. If we just burn it down like Manticore they'll just pack up and move to another school" Max reasoned  
  
"Right" Logan agreed  
  
"So, what do we do?" Alec repeated his question  
  
"We go in, undercover. Figure out how are they doing it and stop them from doing it again" Logan proposed  
  
"Go in? We're supposed to just leave everything here and move to... where exactly is this school?" Max asked  
  
"Outskirts of Chicago" Logan answered  
  
"Even if we decided to go, people there would recognize us. I was at Manticore for 19 years, pretty much everyone knew me. Not to mention Max, the rogue was known by every single employee there Logan!"  
  
"No, the people working on this did not work inside the Manticore facilities. They worked on the genetic details and did nothing else. None of them ever saw you or Max"  
  
"Are you sure?" Max turned around to face him  
  
"Completely. First thing I checked out"  
  
"Logan man it's still a huge sacrifice" Alec ran his hands through his hair  
  
"I know but some of this kids have families, people that love them! And Manticore have ways of making them not care. Their parents will never see them again. Besides, they weren't trained from day one, they're gonna suffer a lot"  
  
Max sighed and rested her forehead against the cool window "When do we leave?"  
  
"As soon as I get everything arranged" Logan moved away from her and sat back down on the chair  
  
"Alec, are you in?" Max asked him  
  
Alec closed his eyes, he remembered psy ops, the drills, the torture, the feeling of emptiness. When he opened his eyes again he saw Max staring at him "Yeah, I'm in"  
  
*************  
  
"Ok, according to your applications, Max your name is Maxine Jane Bewer. You are seventeen. Your father is some rich guy, too involved with his work to take care of you so you're going to boarding school. Alec, or Alecxander Cage, you're an 18 year old orphan with a huge thrust found" Logan handed them their ID's  
  
"The only problem is getting those thrust founds, we need some serious cash and now" Logan rubbed his forehead  
  
Alec sighed "Move old man, let me work" Alec shook his hand  
  
Logan frowned but got up. Alec sat down on the now empty computer chair and clicked away  
  
"What are you doing?" Logan asked him  
  
"Accessing my bank account" Alec replied  
  
"Here we go"  
  
Max and Logan leaned forward. Max gasped  
  
"Where the hell did you get that amount of money? It's enough to buy an island!" Logan blinked to make sure he was seeing properly  
  
"I've been 'borrowing' a couple hundred bucks from millionaire accounts every day, ever since I got out of Manticore. I figured the cash would come in handy one of this days"  
  
"And no one notices the loss?" Max was clearly impressed  
  
"No, as I said, they are millionaire accounts, what's a few bucks? I'll just put the money in separate accounts" Alec shrugged as if stealing millions of dollars was no big deal  
  
"Well, that's one less thing we have to worry about" Logan got on the phone and dialed a long number  
  
"Alec, are you ok with this? I mean what If you loose all your money?"  
  
"Max, this needs to be done, we can't leave those kids in there"   
  
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. You know that don't you?" Max pressed  
  
"Max, you're not going in there alone. I can't let you do that" Alec stopped typing to look up at her  
  
"I'll be ok. If you want to stay here in Seattle I'll understand. You don't have to prove anything"  
  
"I'm going Max, I want to help" Alec turned back to the computer "Besides, I would never let you have all the fun!"  
  
Max chuckled  
  
"I got a house in Chicago" Logan informed them  
  
"Already?" Max was surprised  
  
"It was easy enough to find. Two stories high. My only request was a big basement and we got that"  
  
"Hey, what are you supposed to be? Are you going as a student too?" Alec asked, clearly amused  
  
"They desperately needed a new history teacher" Logan smiled "My interview is tomorrow"  
  
"Wow, this is happening so fast!" Max sat down on Logan's wheelchair  
  
"I know. Now, according to my informant, there are no spare rooms on campus so, I'm going to offer my basement as your apartment until a spot opens up, if we all live together It'll be easier to stay organized and find what we need"  
  
"What makes you think they'll go for it? What if the brain washing occurs at night?" Alec asked him  
  
"It doesn't, some students don't live inside the facilities. None of them live with their parents, that's a rule, but some of them have apartments and stuff"  
  
Max covered her face with her hands "Logan, what if we don't get accepted?"  
  
"You will" Logan assured her  
  
"All done here!" Alec announced. He got up and stretched "Max, let's go to Jam Pony, we need to tell Normal we're leaving"  
  
"Yeah, let's go" Max stood up "We'll be by later" She told Logan and left with Alec close behind her  
  
"Max, are you really ok with this?" Alec asked her once they where in the elevator  
  
"What do you care? Since when did you become mister sensitive?" Max snapped  
  
"Forget it" Alec shrugged  
  
Max felt bad, Alec was being so sweet and so caring and she was snapping at him "I'm sorry, It's just a lot to handle I guess"  
  
"I know" Alec shrugged  
  
"Are YOU ok with this Alec? I mean really?"  
  
"I'm always ok" Alec gave her a smile and turned away. Max placed her hand on his arm and he sighed "Max, I'm really ok. It's you I'm worried about. After all, you are leaving your friends"  
  
"So are you" Max reminded him  
  
"I'll still have you" Alec whispered  
  
Max gave him a small smile. She hated to admit it but she actually liked having Alec around. If she had to go undercover for an undetermined amount of time she was glad to have Alec and Logan along. The elevator doors opened  
  
"Oh, I forgot my jacket! You go ahead and unlock the bikes, I'll be down in a sec" Max climbed the elevator again  
  
When she reached Logan's she opened the door quietly and grabbed her jacket from the living room  
  
"Max?" Logan called  
  
"I forgot my jacket" Max told him. He was standing on the doorway of his office  
  
"Max, this is going to be tough but we can pull it off. I know we can" Logan told her  
  
"I know, we can't leave innocent kids in the hands of Manticore" Max said slowly  
  
Logan pressed his hand against one of the transparent panels of his office. Max walked up to him and pressed her hand on the other side  
  
"We're going to be ok"  
  
"I know" Max whispered, "I know"  
  
_______________________________________  
  
Ok, I hope you like it and I cant wait to write about Alec and Max going through school, it's gonna be fun! So please review and vote for your favorite couple! Tell me if you think this is a horrible idea and I'll do something else! 


	2. Planning

HIGHSCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
A/N: Ok, I hate leaving author notes at the beginning of the stories but you guys left me no choice. Some of your comments where rather rude, someone even said they had voted a few times without reading the story! So I'm forced to take measures and now you can only review if you're logged in. I hate doing that because I know some people can't log in so if you want to vote but can't email me at black_4ngel@hotmail.com and I'll take your vote into consideration.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Planning  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
  
Max and Alec rode their bikes back to Jam Pony in silence, when they got there Max sighed and buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Max?" Alec leaned over and took one of her hands in his.  
  
"What am I going to tell Cindy?" Max whispered.  
  
"Max, we ARE coming back. You just have to say goodbye for a little while" Alec whispered back, but deep down he knew there were thousands of things that could go wrong and a chance they wouldn't get out of there alive.  
  
Cindy rode her bike into Jam Pony then.  
  
"Max, go talk to her. I'll lock the bikes and talk to Normal" Alec offered.  
  
Max nodded and walked away.  
  
"Cindy, can we talk?"   
  
"Sure Boo, what's up?" Cindy asked while rummaging around her bag  
  
Max looked around "Not here, can we go somewhere?"  
  
Cindy looked up from her backpack "Max, what's wrong?"  
  
"Noting I just... We really need to talk" Max sighed, she looked tired and older somehow, as if she had aged overnight.  
  
"Ok, let me change and give my sheet to Normal and we'll take off."  
  
Max nodded and waited while Cindy changed. She kept an eye on Alec talking to Normal.   
  
"What has Alec done now? Will you look at Normal's face? He looks like he's about to cry!" Cindy came up behind Max and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Ok sugar, let's go!"  
  
Max walked behind Cindy towards Normal's desk. Alec was just leaving.  
  
"I always knew you'd be a bad influence to my golden boy!" Was all Normal said.  
  
"Normal just... lay off will you?" Alec took Max's hand and led her away from the desk.  
  
Max rested her back against the wall and Alec stood in front of her. "Have you talked to Cindy?" He asked.  
  
"Not yet." Max said.  
  
"Ok Boo, let's get you out of here!" Cindy took Max by the elbow and pulled her out the door.  
  
"Ok Boo, what's up with you and your boy?" She asked once they where outside  
  
"He's not my boy, how many times have I told you that?" Max snapped.  
  
"Ok, ok, chill. I'm just saying you looked all cozy with him back there."  
  
Max started to walk away so Cindy fell in step behind her. "Mind telling me what's going on?"  
  
"Let's go home, I'll tell you when we get there."  
  
*************  
  
"So let me get this straight. You are leaving your home to go after some bad guys who have nothing to do with you?" Cindy asked Max.  
  
"Pretty much. I'm saving lives Cindy! You have no idea of what will happen to those kids if we just stand here and do nothing!" Max put her coffee cup down and turned around to look at Original Cindy.  
  
"So you are just going back to school for how long?"   
  
"I don't know, as long as it takes. I just hope we can pull it off." Max ran her hands through her hair nervously.  
  
"What do you mean? Of course you can pull it off!" Cindy got up from the couch and took her hand. "Come on, let's go get you packed."  
  
"It's just that... I've never been in school before, I mean not counting Manticore and a few months when I was with my foster parents but that was a long time ago."  
  
"You've never been in school?" Original Cindy asked, clearly impressed.  
  
"Didn't need to, I already know everything there is to know, and what I don't know I can pick up from a book on my own." Max shrugged  
  
"Well I'm sure you'll be fine, and you're going to do great and bring that bitch down ya hear me?" Cindy opened her arms and Max hugged her tightly.  
  
"God I hope you're right. I'm worried about Alec though, what if he blows our cover?"  
  
"Boo, I'm sure he will do no such thing, that boy has training." Original Cindy reminded her.  
  
"I know but..."  
  
There was a small knock on the door, it opened to reveal Alec and Sketchy standing there.  
  
"Max, I just wanted to come by and say goodbye. Alec told me you two are moving away together. I had no idea you two where a couple!" Sketchy rushed over to Max and hugged her.  
  
Max was a little surprised put recovered quickly. "Yeah, it all happened so fast." She stared at Alec and mouthed "I'm going to kill you!" He just shrugged, a smirk plastered on his face.  
  
"Well I'm happy for you two. When are you leaving?"  
  
"Soon." Alec answered "I should probably go pack or something. You coming baby?" He raised his eyebrows at Max.  
  
She tried very hard to keep from slapping him.  
  
"Let's go. I'll be back later OC." Max grabbed her bike, slipped on her leather gloves, and left with Alec close behind.  
  
*************  
  
"Logan?" Max looked around the apartment for him but he wasn't there.  
  
"Max, there's a note by the phone." Alec grabbed the yellow piece of paper and read out loud.  
  
"They moved the interview for this afternoon, I had to leave right away. Be back tomorrow, check my email and see if you have been accepted. I'll call tonight and let you know how things went. Go to Sebastian's at five. Have him do something about your barcodes and see if he has any more information for us. Logan"  
  
Alec dropped the note and walked to the kitchen "Damn, I hate getting my barcode removed, it stings like hell. Oh well, we might as well make ourselves comfortable. Want anything to eat?"  
  
"Sure" Max sat down in front of the computers and checked Logan's files.  
  
*************  
  
Logan arrived at his interview in time, wearing a suit and tie over his exoskeleton.  
  
"Well Mr. Cale, your curriculum is impressive and everything seems to check out so, welcome to our team!"  
  
"Thank you Mr. Smith." Logan shook the white bald man's hand and sighed with relief.  
  
"You can start next Monday. Do you have a place to stay?"  
  
"Yes. I bought a house nearby recently."  
  
"Mr. Smith?" A small guy who whore glasses and a brown suit knocked and entered.  
  
"What is it Stuart?"  
  
"About the two new students, we have no available rooms sir."  
  
Mr. Smith stood up "What about apartments?"  
  
"Noting within a ten miles radius."  
  
"Well then I'm afraid we're going to have to reject them. Too bad, they seemed like good students."  
  
"They can stay with me!" Logan offered.  
  
"With you?" Smith raised an eyebrow.  
  
"In my basement. It's really big. It has a kitchen, a bathroom and plenty of space. I was thinking of renting it since you don't even have to go into the house at all, it has it's own door. I could rent it to your students."  
  
"Are you sure? I mean wouldn't you mind seeing this kids all day?" Mr. Smith sat back down and waited for Logan's answer.  
  
"As I said, The basement is completely independent from the main house." Logan reminded him.  
  
"Well ok," He glanced down at the folders in his hands "Maxine Jane, Alecsander. Welcome to Chicago's private boarding school."  
  
"You don't mind a boy and a girl sleeping in the same apartment?" Logan asked, not really sure why.  
  
"Not at all, the bathrooms and dorms in here are co-ed, builds character and gets rid of inhibitions." Mr. Smith got up from his big chair again and offered his hand to Logan.  
  
"Well, I think we're done here. I expect you here bright and early Monday morning for the first day of school."   
  
Logan shook the man's hand and was just about to leave when Mr. Smith stopped him.  
  
"Oh, just one more thing. Stuart here will go with you to check out your place, we need to. School policies."  
  
*************  
  
"It's a great house Mr. Cale" Stuart admired the big brick house from the outside. It had two stories plus a basement and an attic. The kitchen was huge and the living room had a fireplace.  
  
"Let's check out the basement." Logan suggested.  
  
The basement was big too, but there where no walls except for the ones around the bathroom, it was simply one huge room. It looked more like a big hotel room than a basement. The walls where white, there where small windows all around the top of the room, they had blue shades. The small kitchen was in one corner, the bathroom was on the oposite corner, there where two queen sized bed, one infront of the other and two comfortable blue couches.  
  
"Well, this seems pretty nice to me. Mr. Cale, it seems like you've got two new house mates!"  
  
Again, Logan sighed with relief. Part one of their plan was done.  
  
*************  
  
BEEP  
  
Max glanced up from the computer and stared at the fax machine but didn't move.  
  
"Max, is that..." Alec walked into the office carrying two sandwishes.  
  
"I think so." Max was still staring at the machine.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Don't just stare at the damn thing!"  
  
Max nodded and reached for the piece of paper. She held it in her hands and read it over quickly.  
  
"It's from Logan"  
  
"Well..." Alec waited.  
  
Max tured around to look at him, the piece of paper still clutched in her hands  
  
"We're in"  
  
*************  
  
Alec sighed and handed a sandwish to Max "That's good right?"  
  
"Yeah," Max took a bite of the sandwish and smiled "Mmm, this tastes great! I didn't know you where a cook!"  
  
"Max, it's a sandwish! No one can mess up a sandwish!" Alec took his sandwish to the living room and sat down on the couch to eat.  
  
"I can" Max said under her breath.  
  
"How?" Alec asked her surprised.  
  
Max cursed Alec's hearing inwardly. "Once, I confused mustard with..."  
  
"Yeah?" Alec leaned forward on his seat.  
  
"Peanut butter"  
  
Alec laughed so hard he rolled off the couch. "Peanut butter Max? That's impossible!" He managed to say between laughs.  
  
"Apparently not" She said "What do you want me to say? They are both yellow!"  
  
Alec only laughed harder. "No they are not! Peanut butter is brown! And besides, mustard yellow is a color on it's own!"  
  
Max groaned "Remind me never to tell you anything again! Now come on, we have to go."  
  
"Go where?" Alec took one big bite from his sandwich and grabbed his jacket.  
  
"Sebastian's."  
  
*************  
  
"I think Logan has his information right. They are using different tecniques on that school." Sebastian computarised voice filled the room.  
  
"Such as?" Max was lying face down on a stretcher. Alec was removing her barcode with a laser.  
  
"They provide free coffee for their students, classic music sounds at all hours..."  
  
"Music?" Alec leaned forward a little.  
  
"Mozart, Vivaldy..."  
  
"But why?" Max tensed and gripped the metal of the stretcher. Alec saw this and stopped for a moment, caressing Max's hair and the fading lines of her barcode, willing her to relax.  
  
"Music is supposed to increase learning abilities. If they want perfect soldiers they need to have them learing fast."  
  
"Maybe that's how they are controlling them," suggested Alec.  
  
"How much progress have they made?" Max asked.  
  
"It's still a norma school Max. Popular teenagers, couples, homework, parties, sports..."  
  
"So we actually have to act like normal teens?" Max visibly tensed again but Alec was already done. He motioned for her to get up and she did with his help. He then laid down on the stretcher and Max picked up the laser.  
  
"You two will do fine, It will probably be best if you manage to get into the popular crowd. Some of the strongest and cleverest kids hang out with that crowd. You need to be on top of things."  
  
"Great, we get to be snobs!" Max said sarcastically, "I need to go see Original Cindy."  
  
*************  
  
Two hours later they where back at Logan's place with Original Cindy in tow.  
  
"I think I need the curls back." Max announced.  
  
"We need to cut your hair then," Cindy looked around "I need a pair of sissors."  
  
Alec frowned "Curls?"  
  
"You'll see" Max winked at him and he smiled.  
  
"Here we go! Come with me to the bathroom boo." Cindy took Max's hand and guided her over to the bathroom.  
  
Alec staid behind, wondering what was going on inside that bathroom.  
  
Half an hour later the door opened and Original Cindy stepped out. She walked over to the kitchen and opened a couple of drawers.  
  
"Looking for something?" Logan asked from the doorway.  
  
"Hey, look who's back!" Alec greeted him.  
  
"Yeah well, grabbed the first plane back. Where's Max?"  
  
"In the bathroom. Where can I find a rubber band in here?" Cindy rumaged around the drawers but came up empty handed.  
  
Logan grabbed some maps that where rolled up together and removed the rubber band holding them together before handing it to Cindy along with a white box he was carrying. He handed another box to Alec.  
  
"School uniforms. Tell Max to try it on, I hope it fits it might be a little small. Only thing I could come up with in such short notice."  
  
Cindy nodded and took the things back to Max.  
  
"School uniforms?" Alec wondered out loud.  
  
"Navy blue skirts for the girls and pants for the boys, button down white shirts, blue and red tie on winter along with a blue jacket and knee high white socks for the..."  
  
The door opened again and Max walked out. Her hair was shorter, a little below her shoulders. Soft curls adorned the ends while her hair staid straight at the top. She was wearing the button down shirt, top two buttons undone, the skirt was quite small, a few inches above her knees.  
  
"...girls." Logan gulped   
  
"What did you want the rubber band for?" Alec asked once he got his ability to talk back.  
  
"Oh!" Max piled her hair on top of her head and tied it on a long phonytail.  
  
The guys just stared at her and she giggled. "I feel so stupid"  
  
"Don't" Logan told her.  
  
"You look beautiful" Alec whispered.  
  
Max whipped her head around to look at him and Alec cursed inwardly, remembering her supreme hearing.  
  
Original Cindy raised an eyebrow "Well boo, I'm out of here. But I'll be back in the morning before you leave. I want to have a chat with this two nice gentleman."  
  
Max nodded and walked Cindy to the door.  
  
"You gonna be over tonight?" Cindy asked her.  
  
"I don't know, we might not be done."   
  
"Either way, I'll see you tomorrow boo."  
  
"Yeah. Night Cindy."  
  
"Night boo."  
  
*************  
  
Max didn't go home last night. There where plans to be made, arrangements to be settled, things to be talked over and desitions to take.  
  
At around four am they finaly managed to rest a little after desiding that Max and Alec would fly to Chicago on Sundy while Logan would drive over there the next day.   
  
They had spend some time packing Logan's stuff, some books and electronic stuff, things from the kitchen and other much needed things.  
  
Logan had called Blig, asked him to come over and take care of Eyes Only for a while.  
  
"Logan, you should get some rest. Long drive tomorrow." Max reminded him.  
  
Logan dropped a newspaper wrapped plate on the box he was filling and stood up. "You're right. Let yourselves out when you're done... On second thought, you can just crash here. It's nearly morning anyway."  
  
"Ok, I won't sleep anyway. You can take the guest bedroom if you want Alec."  
  
Alec just nodded but didn't look up from the cristal glasses he was packing.  
  
"Ok, good night Logan" Max called.  
  
"Good night."  
  
Once Logan was gone Alec moved his load of boxes to the living room where Max was packing some books, leafing through them and choosing the best ones.  
  
"Hey, think we should take this boxes down to the Aztec? Logan's got to leave pretty early tomorrow." Alec suggested.  
  
"Ok, sure! It'll be easier to carry more boxes than humanly possible without being seen" Max grabbed four boxes and carried them to the door. Alec followed her with an armful of boxes himself but had to put them down to open the door.  
  
"Thanks" Max said when Alec held the door open for her.  
  
"Let's hurry, there are still a few boxes to pack." Was Alec's response.  
  
Once they where on the elevator Max took some time to study Alec. They had grown closer but still fought constantly, Max realised it made her feel alive.  
  
Alec closed his eyes for a moment and Max studied his handsome features. He seemed... tired.  
  
"Alec are you ok? You look like you could use some rest"  
  
"I'm fine, no shark DNA in my cocktail remember? I just haven't been sleeping well for a while."  
  
Max nodded "Nightmares?"  
  
"No, lady friends you know? Super stamina, I'm an all nighter!" Alec chucked but Max looked at him in the eye and waited for him to say something else.  
  
Alec sighed "They aren't too bad, and not that often, but whenever I wake up after one of them I can't go back to sleep and that kind of ruins your day you know?"  
  
Max nodded "Psy obs?"  
  
"Some of them. How bad are yours?"  
  
"Pretty bad, one of the reasons I don't sleep. Reindocrinaton, lost siblings, the works."  
  
Alec whistled slowly  
  
"Alec, which ones are your worst?"  
  
"The ones about Rachel." Alec answered sincerely.  
  
"You really loved her didn't you?"  
  
The elevator doors opened then and Alec dashed out. "Come on Max, lets get this things into the car."  
  
Max sighed and followed him.  
  
*************  
  
"Hey Max, think we should pack all of Logan's CD's or leave that up to him? Because I'm sorry to say his taste in music and mine are way too different..."  
  
Alec stepped into the living room half an hour later and found a sleeping Max lying on the couch, an old book on her hands.  
  
Alec smiled and walked over to her. He picked her up, careful not to wake her, and carried her to the guest bedroom. He removed her boots and covered her with the sheets.  
  
"So much for not sleeping" He whispered. He staid in the room, just watching her sleep for a few minutes. She looked like an angel.  
  
Alec felt the sudden urge to bend down and kiss her. He leaned forward slowly, taking his time. A few inches away from her mouth he stopped and kissed her forehead instead.  
  
"Night Max" He whispered before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.  
  
Max opened her eyes slowly and whispered into the empty room "Night Alec."  
  
_______________________________ 


	3. Moving In

HIGHSCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Moving In  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
  
"Plane tickets, ID's, passports, sector passes. I think we have everything." Logan told them from the car.  
  
"We'll see you tomorrow then. Have a good trip." Alec told him.  
  
"I will." Logan nodded before turning to Max.  
  
"Be careful!" They both said at the same time. Max smiled, "I will."  
  
Logan nodded and started the engine. "Bye kids!"  
  
"Bye daddy!" Alec responded, making Max smile again.  
  
As Logan drove away Max heard Alec chuckle.  
  
"What?" She asked him.  
  
"Could you two be more lame? What's up with the whole 'be careful' thing?"  
  
"Oh shut up Alec"  
  
"You know, we should go pack our own stuff now." Alec suggested.  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you later at Crash right?" Max asked.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
"Oh and Alec?"   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Get some sleep."  
  
Alec smiled "Yeah."  
  
*************  
  
Max sat at a table with Original Cindy, beer in hand, just watching Sketchy get drunk.  
  
"You know Boo, I'm really gonna miss this." Cindy commented.  
  
"Miss what? Watching Sketchy trying to feel me up after a few pitchers of beer?"  
  
"He better not" Alec whispered in her ear.  
  
Max jumped about a mile. "Alec! Will you stop that? I hate it when you sneak up on me like that!"  
  
"You mean I can actually sneak up on the perfect, always alert, never sleeping Max? I'm honored!" Alec joked and grabbed a seat next to Max.  
  
"Don't sound so smug about it, you might be surprised at what this girl can do."  
  
"Trust me, I'm eager to find out." He whispered to her.  
  
"Ugh Alec back off, how about some pool? I feel like kicking your ass today."  
  
"You know, this infatuation with my ass worries me sometimes." Alec smiled and stood up.  
  
"Ok, so what are we playing for? Money?" He asked picking up a cue.  
  
Max smiled seductively and walked over to him, "How about we make it a little more interesting?"  
  
Alec swallowed "I'm game!"  
  
Max got impossibly close to him "The winner..." She tilted his head down and whispered in his ear "Gets first pick at the new beds."  
  
Alec chuckled and relaxed a little. "Oh, that! Fine with me!"  
  
"Well, what did you think I was gonna suggest?" Max raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Max, shut up and play will you?"  
  
*************  
  
Two minutes later most of the balls where gone and Max and Alec where tied with only one ball left each. It was Max's turn.  
  
"That shot is really hard Max." Alec commented.  
  
"I know!" Max said through gritted teeth.  
  
Alec moved closer to her, his thighs brushed against her backside as he moved past her.  
  
"You'll never make it."  
  
"I can manage." Max got ready to take her shot and Alec leaned down, he was so close Max could feel his warm breath on her ear.  
  
She missed.  
  
"Oh, sorry Maxie, better luck next time! I'm winning this round!" Alec prepared his move.  
  
"I don't think so" Max muttered. She stood behind him until she was sure he was about to take his shot, then she pinched his backside.  
  
Alec jumped and missed.  
  
"Max! That was completely unfair!" Alec gasped.  
  
"I really really want the best bed." Max shrugged, "And besides, all is fair in love and war!"  
  
"Oh yeah, and which one are we playing at?"  
  
Max was so surprised at his comment she missed her shot.  
  
"I want a good bed too Max, better luck with the ladies!"  
  
"God knows you need it."  
  
Alec missed. "Hey! No bad comments about Junior, you could hurt his feelings!" Alec motioned to the lower half of his anatomy.  
  
"Oh Alec, you're disgusting!"  
  
"Well, maybe we can just avoid all the trouble."  
  
"How exactly?" Max concentrated hard on her next shot, she was getting tired of fighting Alec  
  
"We could just share the best bed."  
  
But even that wasn't enough to distract Max, who won the game and then slapped Alec on the back of the head.  
  
"Good game boo, what where you and your boy talking about? You look kind of flushed!" Original Cindy offered a beer to Max and she drank greedily.  
  
"Nothing in particular. And it's just really hot in here!"  
  
"What ever you have to tell yourself." Alec teased her, which earned him another slap.  
  
*************  
  
"Max are you ready to go? Our flight leaves in like an hour!" Alec shouted.  
  
"I had never noticed just how much black clothes I own. It's an awful lot! Think anyone will notice?" Max walked out of her room carrying two large suitcases.  
  
Alec kicked his own suitcase open to reveal that three fourths of his clothes where black as well.  
  
"Oh well, who's gonna know?" Max grabbed the rest of her bags and a couple of boxes and carried them downstairs, where Alec had a cab waiting for them. Once the car was loaded Max realized it was time to say goodbye to Cindy.  
  
"Boo..." Max turned to her but found out that she had no words.  
  
Original Cindy sniffled and opened her arms. Max hugged Cindy tightly, a small tear rolled down her cheek, making Cindy cry.  
  
"Promise you'll call or write or something!" Cindy told her between sobs.   
  
"I promise" Max was now sobbing herself. "Cindy, please please please take care of my baby for me, don't let anyone take her nor touch her!"  
  
"I'll guard it with my life." Cindy squeezed Max one last time before turning to Alec.  
  
"You know, you might be a real pain in the ass but I've actually come to like you boo."  
  
Alec smiled, but it wasn't one of his cocky smiles, it was a sincere one. "I really like you too Cindy."  
  
Original Cindy wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back. "Take good care of my boo for me."  
  
"I'll guard her with my life." Alec repeated Cindy's words.  
  
She had a feeling he was kidding but it still made her feel a lot better. The thing was, as Alec realized, he wasn't kidding, not at all.  
  
*************  
  
By the time they where sitting on uncomfortable chairs at the airport, Max was still crying softly. Alec wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned into his embrace and rested her head on his chest.  
  
"You're really going to miss Seattle aren't you?"   
  
"Staying in this city has been a total risk for me for a while now and I could never bring myself to leave."  
  
"We ARE coming back Max, I promise I'll get you back here. No matter what."  
  
"Do you always keep your promises?"  
  
"To you? Yes."  
  
Max felt oddly reassured. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be comforted by Alec.  
  
*************  
  
"Maxine Jane Bewer? Alecsander Cage? This way please!" A small bald man motioned for them to follow him.  
  
Max took a deep breath and followed the man with Alec at her heels.  
  
"I'm Stuart Young, everyone calls me Stuart. I work at the school" The man helped them haul their things on to a black van   
  
"Doing what?" Alec asked him.  
"Oh lots of stuff, I'm everywhere you know?"  
  
They didn't but decided not to say anything while Stuart drove them to Logan's.  
  
Once they got there Stuart introduced everyone and they all shook hands. Max made sure she was wearing her gloves and shook Logan's hand carefully.  
  
"Well, I'll leave you to get acquainted. Get some sleep, classes start tomorrow!" Stuart told them enthusiastically.  
  
"Will do, thank you for the ride!" Max smiled.  
  
"I'll walk you to your car" Alec told him.  
  
Once they where outside Alec asked him "Hey, you know where I can score a nice car around here?"  
  
Stuart squirmed a little "Hum... we don't encourage new students to buy a car so soon..."  
  
"Yeah but you see, I'm a senior so it's kind of now or never." Alec slipped some money into Stuart's pocket  
  
"Well, there are some places downtown... I'll get you some fliers tomorrow and I bet you can find something there."  
  
"Thank you" Alec smiled at him and walked back into the house.  
  
*************  
  
Max dropped down on one of the beds and bounced up and down a few times, then she stood up and bounced on the other bed. Alec watched from the top of the stairs.  
  
"So, which one did you like best?" He asked her.  
  
"I'm not sure, why don't you come here and tell me what you think?" Max asked him so Alec jumped down the rest of the steps and repeated what Max had done.  
  
"I think this one is softer." He pointed to the bed closest to the bathroom.  
  
"Thanks, I'll take that one." Max reached into one of her boxes and extracted some blue sheets.  
  
"Hey that's not fair! You're supposed to take the one I told you was worst so I can have the other one!"  
  
Max smiled from her bed. "Like I didn't know you where going to do that."  
  
"I need to improve my techniques." Alec mumbled and laid down on his unmade bed.  
  
"Ok, let's make some rules here. First of all, no lady friends while I'm here ok?"  
  
"Aww Ma..." Alec stopped suddenly.  
  
"Ale..." Alec turned to Max and silenced her with a look. He focused on listening and shutting out everything else.  
  
Max stared at Alec and frowned.  
  
Alec could hear a small sound coming from somewhere in the room, he looked around, using his enhanced view, until he discovered a hidden camera on a corner of the room on top of a shelve and a bug on the light fixture.  
  
He turned his back to the camera and signaled to Max for her to be quiet and play along.  
  
"So maybe we should unpack, what do you think MJ?"  
  
'MJ?' Max wondered to herself but didn't dare ask him out loud.  
  
"Yeah, could you hand me that box Alecsander?"  
  
Alec slid a box towards her and she took out a lamp and some pictures.  
  
"Hey MJ, this box is yours too." Alec handed her another box.  
  
"It is?" Max glanced at the strange box. Alec raised an eyebrow. "Oh it is! The housekeeper must have packed it." Max opened the box and found some teddy bears and a couple of old dolls, some medals and a few trophies for swimming and gymnastics.  
  
"Here, you can have the top shelve." Alec grabbed some of the teddy bears and arranged them so that the camera was totally covered.  
  
"Hey Alecsander, do you mind if I change the light bulb? This room needs some more light." Max started glancing around, looking for some more cameras but apparently there where none.  
  
"Naw, go upstairs and ask Mr. Cale if he has another light bulb. Tell him we'll pay him back."  
  
'Warn him' Alec mouthed and Max nodded.  
  
"Ok, be right back."  
  
Max ran up the stairs and found Logan on the kitchen making coffee.  
  
"Hey Mr. Cale, do you have a light bulb we can borrow?" Max took a seat on the breakfast bar and grabbed a napkin.  
  
Logan frowned and turned towards her "Why are you..."  
  
Max shoveled the napkin in his direction. It said, "Might be watching and listening."  
  
"...even asking? Of course I'll lend you a light bulb. Go look upstairs, there's a closet by my bedroom, you might find some there. You'll know which one is my bedroom right away."  
  
"Ok, thanks!" Max looked around the kitchen, not finding any cameras but needing Alec to make sure about the bugs.  
  
She ran up the stairs and found Logan's room quickly. She glanced inside, just pretending to be a nosy teen and found a camera on a corner above the bed.  
  
She found the small closet, took a light bulb, inspected the hall finding nothing, and ran back down the stairs.  
  
"Your room has a camera" Max whispered to Logan, getting as close to him as she dared.  
  
Logan nodded. He walked over to the stereo and turned on some loud music.  
  
"Are there any bugs?"  
  
"Not from what I can tell but I need Alec to double check that for us. Let me get this to him and then I'll have him inspect the living room."  
  
Logan nodded and Max thundered down the stairs.  
  
"Mr. Cale said it was ok, I'll just get a chair or something and change..."  
  
"Here, let me do it!" Alec took the light bulb from her, climbed on a chair and changed it.  
  
"Hey, what's this?" He held the bug up.  
  
"I don't know, what does it look like?" Max asked him.  
  
"It looks like..." Alec dropped the bug, then he pretended to fall off his chair and step on it. It broke with a small crack.  
  
"MJ?" Max asked him immediately.  
  
"It was all I could come up with so suddenly. Besides, I like it."  
  
Max considered it "I sort of like it too but why not just Max?"  
  
Alec shrugged, "what if they know about your name?"  
  
Max nodded, it seemed reasonable.  
  
"Where did the stuffed animals come from?" Max asked Alec.  
  
"Probably Logan. I can't believe they bugged us!"  
  
"They are Manticore, what did you expect?" Max said sarcastically.  
  
"I should go upstairs."  
  
"Hey Alec, would you check the first floor for bugs? There are no cameras but I'm not sure about the mikes." Max asked him.  
  
"Sure."  
  
They both walked upstairs, Alec got to work right away, making sure to be really really quiet.   
  
"The first floor is clean. I'll go check upstairs."  
  
"No cameras on the hall, there's one on Logan's room, I don't know about the rest." Max told him.  
  
Alec nodded and left.  
  
"So, did you put that box downstairs?" Max asked Logan.  
  
"The one with the stuffed animals and the trophies? Yeah. Alec has one of trophies and medals as well. I figured you'd need them."  
  
"Good thinking" Max smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No microphones, no more cameras but I think there's a camera on the front porch. Remember something Max?"  
  
Max closed her eyes and pictured the front porch. "Yes, above the swing right?"  
  
"I think so." Alec confirmed.  
  
Logan sighed. Well, you guys will just have to come in through your own door and we'll be fine." Logan reassured them.  
  
"Yeah" Max said but there was a felling of uneasiness she couldn't shake off.  
  
************  
  
"So, are you going to teach me how to listen for bugs?" Max asked Alec.   
  
They where sitting around the kitchen table while Logan made lunch for them.  
  
"Oh Max, you can do it! Just concentrate!" Alec moved his chair closer to her.  
  
"I'll guide you through it ok? You just have to do as I say."  
  
"You better not hypnotize me and have me running around flapping like a bird and all that crap or I'll kick your ass." She told him.  
  
Logan, who was chopping some vegetables, chuckled.  
  
"Ok, ok, close your eyes."  
  
"Why?"   
  
"So you can concentrate better Max."  
  
"Ok." Max closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"Good now enhance your hearing, concentrate on high pitched sounds."  
  
Max did so and gasped, the electricity of things like the blender and the toaster where hurting her ears.  
  
"Max, are you ok? What happened?" Alec asked her. Logan put down his knife and moved closer to her without touching her.  
  
"Nothing, I concentrated too hard I guess." Max smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Maybe the kitchen isn't the best place to practice." Logan told them.  
  
"You're right. We'll try again later." Alec grabbed the carrot Logan had been chopping up and cut it up quickly and in perfect little slices.  
  
The phone rang then, Logan dried his hands on a kitchen towel and grabbed the phone.  
  
"Hello? Oh hi! Yes of course... no, it's no problem at all! Yes I'm sure, I'm almost done unpacking anyway. The students? They are in their room I think, maybe they left. Ok... fine, see you then."  
  
Logan hung up. Almost immediately the phone downstairs rang. Alec ran to get it.  
  
"What did they tell you Logan?" Max asked him.  
  
"Some of the teachers are coming over tonight, tradition or something, who knows?"  
  
Alec appeared at the top of the stairs. "They where just checking up on us, probably because now there's no bug and no camera on our room."  
  
Max sighed, things where going to be hard for all of them but just how hard, she had no idea.  
  
*************  
  
Max heard the laughter of people upstairs, the door to the basement had been locked to avoid questions and now she was stuck with Alec for the rest of the night... or so she thought.  
  
Alec walked out of the bathroom wearing black pants and a black tight shirt.  
  
"Going somewhere?" Max asked him.  
  
"Checking out the town, checking out the chicks." Alec grabbed his house keys.  
  
"On foot?"  
  
"Yes. Want to come?" He decided to ask her.  
  
"Chick hunting? No thanks."  
  
"Ok!" Alec shrugged and turned to leave.  
  
"Don't stay out too late, you have school tomorrow!" Max called after him.  
  
"Yes mom!" He yelled back but he was smiling.  
  
*************  
  
When Alec got back from his recon mission he found Max asleep on the couch, reading the same book she had been reading two nights ago at Logan's. She was wearing boxers and her sport's bra.  
  
Alec smiled and picked her up in his arms. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down.   
  
"You better not get used to this" He whispered before tucking the covers around her.  
  
He was just about to lean down and kiss her forehead when Max asked him.  
  
"Good night?"  
  
"Naw, being wheelless sucks."  
  
Max smiled "Night Alec."  
  
"Night Max."  
  
*************  
  
Max opened her eyes the next morning and looked around for Alec. She found him in the bed in front of her, asleep.  
  
She got up from her own bed and walked over to his. He looked so peaceful she almost regretted doing what she was about to do. Almost but not quite.  
  
She cleared her throat, leaned close to his ear, took a deep breath and...  
  
"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!!"  
  
Alec jumped about a feet and rolled off the bed tangled in the sheets. He landed on the floor with a tud.  
  
"Hey! What did you do that for?!"  
  
"Well I have been calling your name for a minute or so with no response from you what so ever, it was the only way!"  
  
"Yeah, right!" Alec untangled himself and got up, muttering under his breath "Bitch."  
  
That earned him a pillow on the face.  
  
"I'm taking a shower." Max informed him before turning her back on him and walking away.  
  
She closed the door behind her and turned on the hot water.   
  
Max inhaled the vapor coming from the water and smiled.  
  
"Thank God for working water heaters!" She said out loud before stripping and stepping into the shower, closing the pale blue curtains behind her.  
  
Max rubbed the soap all over her body and massaged her scalp with some herbal shampoo that smelled like cherries. She was in the process of rinsing when the door burst open and Alec walked in.  
  
"Alec what the hell are you doing?!" Max shrieked.  
  
"I had to pee." Alec told her trying not to groan at the sight of her naked silhouette behind the curtain.  
  
"Well pee upstairs! There are a few other bathrooms in this house you know!"  
  
"Yeah but Logan forgot to unlock the door last night so it was either this or me peeing outside!"  
  
Max grumbled some response and continued to rinse her hair while se listened to Alec fumbling around and taking a pee.  
  
"You better remember to put the seat down when you're done." She threatened him.  
  
"You know I don't have to put it up, perfect aim." Alec teased. He slammed the toilet seat down, flushed the toilet and washed his hands.  
  
"Pig"  
  
"Control freak"  
  
"I am NOT a control freak!" Max fought back.  
  
"Are too"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
She moved the shower curtain aside so that she could sneak her head out and look at Alec. "Am NOT!"  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow, finally realizing just how ridiculous everything sounded.  
  
Max laughed and Alec joined her. They laughed for a couple of minutes, getting some of the tension from the last couple of days out.  
  
"Could you hand me that brush?" Max asked him.  
  
"Sure." Alec grabbed a hair brush from the counter and handed it to her. Their hands touched briefly.  
  
Alec jumped away at the contact. Something about Max's naked wet hand filled his head with images of the naked wet arm attached to it and the naked wet...  
  
"ALEC!"   
  
"Yeah?" He jumped a little.  
  
"I said, could you please leave so that I can get out and change now." Max was smiling, knowing he had been deep in thought.  
  
"Aww Max, you can't change with me in the room? What are you shy?!" Alec leaned against the sink and smirked.  
  
"I'm not shy! I'm modest!" Max grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around herself.  
  
"Max, they are synonyms!" Alec was obviously enjoying the torture.  
  
Max just blushed and stepped out of the shower, she ran the brush through her hair furiously.  
  
"Max, really, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Your body is perfect! We where made that way remember?"  
  
"Yeah well that doesn't mean I'm gonna parade around you naked!" Max walked out of the bathroom, closely followed by Alec.  
  
"I'm just saying that there is no need for you to be all shy and modest that's all!"  
  
Max grabbed her school uniform and underwear and marched back to the bathroom.  
  
The door to the basement opened and Logan walked in. "Hey you guys, are you almost ready? You're gonna be late!"  
  
"We'll be ready in five minutes." Max told him and slammed the bathroom door in Alec's face.  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow and Alec just shrugged. "Woman." He told Logan.  
  
He nodded knowingly and gave Alec a sympathetic smile. "I made breakfast, come up when you're ready."  
  
"Oh so now you're taking HIS side! Original Cindy was right, all men are the same!" Max yelled through the door.  
  
Logan escaped before she could yell anything else.  
  
*************  
  
"Max, your breakfast is getting cold!" Logan yelled.  
  
"I said I'm coming!" Max yelled back.  
  
Alec sighed. "Seriously, you'd think a transgenic girl would be able to get ready for school quickly like the good soldier she's supposed to be but noooo she had to go all girly on us!"  
  
"I am NOT a good little soldier. Never was, never will be." Max joined the two guys at the breakfast bar and wolfed down her pancakes.  
  
The boys where stunned into silence at Max's appearance. She had her hair loose, a light touch of makeup, lip gloss and clear pink nails. She looked like every teenager's wet dream come true.  
  
Max felt the stares and looked up.   
  
"Whuf?" She asked, her mouth full of pancakes.  
  
"See? Right there, charm breaker!" Alec laughed and stuffed half a pancake into his mouth.  
  
"Loof Olef, fu beffed shuf uf ug I'g giging suf oss!" Max tried to threaten him but it only made him laugh harder and spit out half his pancake.  
  
Logan took cover behind the counter and wiped some of the crumbs away from his shirt.  
  
"Guys, come on! Finish up so we can leave please!" Logan scolded them.  
  
"Hey, we're just getting used to being teenagers!" Max protested.  
  
"Yeah man, chill!" Alec gulped down the rest of his milk and got up to rinse his plate.  
  
Logan smiled "I'm actually glad you guys are going to be doing this whole high school thing. It's a fun experience I really want both of you to have. No one should have to go from being a child to being an adult without going through the fun teenager stuff."  
  
Alec smiled genuinely. "You know, this is one mission I might actually like." He admitted.  
  
"Yeah, I would enjoy it too if it wasn't for the whole manticore-trying-to-turn-kids-into-soldiers thing." Max rinsed her plate and grabbed her backpack.  
  
"Oh come on Max, don't be a party pooper!" Alec picked up his back pack and placed an arm around Max's shoulders but she shrugged it off.  
  
"Yeah Max, things where going so well with my whole optimistic speech." Logan joked and locked the door behind them.  
  
"Let's just hope this 'fun experience' doesn't turn into a disaster."  
  
Alec chuckled "Yeah right, like anything EVER works out the way it was planned with us."  
  
*************  
  
"Ok guys, we're a little bit on the late side so I have to go to homeroom. You two go straight to the office and get your schedules." Logan told them at the school gate.  
  
"Sure thing... Mr. Cale." Max answered.  
  
Logan turned around and found a young girl staring at the back of his head. The student giggled and ran away.  
  
Logan sighed.  
  
"You better get used to it. I have a feeling we're all going to be getting a lot of that stuff." Max pointed at a couple of girls staring at Alec and whispering behind their hands.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's just go ok? I'll see you two in class."  
  
Max and Alec nodded. Logan grazed Max's uniform covered arm lightly before walking away.  
  
Max sighed and Alec took her hand.   
  
Max looked down at their joined hands and then at Alec.  
  
"Come on Max, right now I think we both need as much support as we can get." Alec whispered to her.  
  
Max was too nervous to argue or push him away.  
  
"Ready for your first day of school?" He asked her.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be!"  
  
They walked into the building hand in hand.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I promise the next one will come sooner.  
  
I hope you liked it, it seemed kind of rushed to me!  
  
I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and remind people to please vote for your favorite couple!! I have gotten some m/l votes, just not enough. If you're an m/l shipper, you still have a chance! Just vote!! And if you don't feel like taking sides then just leave a review please!  
  
Oh, one more thing, if you'd like for me to email you when I update this story then leave me your email adress and tell me please! 


	4. Cool Kids

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Cool Kids  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
By the time they got to the office the bell had rung and the halls where empty.  
  
The secretary there had her head down and didn't see them come in.  
  
Alec cleared his throat and the woman looked up.  
  
"Oh hi! You must be the new students! I have your schedules here for you, I'm afraid you missed homeroom so you can just head straight for your first class. Here's your locker combination, map and papers. Oh and I will need you both to sign in for some extra classes later today, new students require extra credits!" The woman handed them each a folder.  
  
"Please don't ask young men for directions, they love playing jokes on the new students and will probably lead you to the bathroom or a closet."  
  
"Thank you for the warning." Alec adjusted his shirt and turned to Max.  
  
The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom.  
  
"Shall we?" Alec asked Max.  
  
She smiled encouragingly. "Let's go!"  
  
*************  
  
Max and Alec walked elegantly through the halls packed with kids. Heads turned in their direction as the crowd seemed to part to let them through.  
  
People whispered to each other, girls sighed and boys stared as the transgenics made their way to their classes.  
  
They stopped in front of the science lab.  
  
"I think my first class is here." Max told Alec.  
  
"Ok," he checked his map and leaned a little bit closer to her ear. "I'll be in the next classroom in case you need anything." He whispered.  
  
Max nodded and watched Alec walk away as the bell rang. He turned around and mouthed "Keep your eyes open" She nodded and walked into her first class.  
  
*************  
  
Max smiled at the teacher. His eyes widened a little but he recovered nicely.  
  
"I take it you're the new student?" He asked her more than told her.  
  
"Yeah, I'm MJ."  
  
"Ok MJ, my name is Alfred Russell. You're going to need a lab partner, now let's see... who's available?"  
  
"I am!" A guy wearing a football jacket and sitting next to a pretty blonde raised his hand.  
  
"Sean!" The girl slapped him on the arm and turned away, flipping her hair and hitting him on the face with it.  
  
"Aww, come on Steph, I was just joking!"  
  
"People, people, resolve your love lives on your own time! Now MJ, you can sit with Melissa, since her partner is absent. We'll make permanent arrangements for you later."  
  
Max walked towards Melissa. She had clear white skin and jet black hair. Her eyes where a little almond shaped and she seemed to have a nice figure.  
  
"Hi!" Max whispered to her while the teacher continued his lesson.  
  
"Hi. So, you're the new kid. I'm sure you'll have no problem fitting in, and neither will that boy who was with you." Melissa whispered back.  
  
"Alecsander? Naw, he'll have friends before the next bell rings."  
  
"Well, if you think about it so will you. I mean, if you want to be a part of our group."  
  
Max glanced at Melissa with interest. "Just tell me you're not a geek and I'm in."  
  
"A geek? Hell no, I'm a cheerleader!" Melissa giggled.  
  
"Miss Witacker, will you please keep it down?"  
  
"Yes Mr. Russell" Melissa said out loud. Then she whispered to Max, "See you at lunch."  
  
Max nodded and got to work. That was when she noticed for the first time the soft music playing through the loudspeakers. Mozart. She made a note to ask Alec if he had heard anything unusual on the tape.  
  
*************  
  
Alec tapped his foot against the desk in front of him during math class, he was too bored to do anything else.  
  
The poor girl sitting on the desk turned around to ask Alec to stop the annoying habit but one look at Alec had her melting into a puddle. She just giggled and turned her back to him again.  
  
Alec smiled, that girl was definitely one of the 'popular ones' he was supposed to interact with. She had been playing with her blonde hair and looking at her reflection on a small mirror for the whole class.  
  
Alec looked around. A couple of muscular guys wearing football jackets where sitting behind him, the rest of the kids seemed pretty ordinary except for a boy wearing thick glasses and hiding behind a big textbook.  
  
"Nikki, could you please hand this sheets out?" The teacher asked the self centered blonde.  
  
"Sure Mr. Watson" Nikki got up and started handing out the pieces of paper.  
  
Alec heard a small hissing sound behind him and turned to check it out. One of the muscular guys glanced at Nikki, then looked directly at Alec and glanced at Nikki again.  
  
Alec got the message. Once Nikki reached him he dropped his sheet on purpose.  
  
"Oops." He smiled at her. She smiled back and bent down to retrieve the paper.  
  
The guys behind Alec whistled slowly. Once Nikki was gone the guy sitting directly behind Alec placed his hand on his, Alec's shoulder and whispered "Thanks man!"  
  
Alec smiled and thought to himself 'I'm in'  
  
*************  
  
Max stood outside her classroom and glanced down at her map. Every classroom was numbered but how the hell was she supposed to know which one was her Literature classroom?  
  
"Are you lost?" Max looked up from her paper and found a handsome, tall, blonde boy with piercing blue eyes staring down at her.  
  
"I'm not lost... just misinformed." She told him. The boy laughed and offered her his hand.  
  
"I'm Luke."  
  
"MJ" Max shook his hand.  
  
"Pleasure. Now, let's see... what's your next class?"  
  
"Lit. With Mr. Meisher." Max told him.  
  
"Ok, this way milady!" He offered her his arm and she hesitated for a moment.  
  
'Man, do teenagers really fall for that fake charm?' Max asked herself.  
  
"I'll take her to her next class. You can go Luke." A beautiful, slim brunet with bright green eyes and the most amazing body Max had ever seen showed up from nowhere and guided Max away from Luke.  
  
"Dak! Come back! Hey, I was going to show her!" Luke yelled after them.  
  
"Yeah right!" Dak said. "Luke is a good kid, once you get to know him... but in the mean time, don't go near him alone. He'll cool down one you're part of the group."  
  
"The group?" Max raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah... you ARE joining aren't you? Don't worry, we are the cool kids." The girl guided Max directly to her locker and waited while she took out her books.  
  
"How did you know I'd been invited?" Max asked her while she tried to open her old rusty locker.  
  
"How could you not be? You just had lab right? There are three of our members in it, surely one of them talked to you and invited you... same for your friend Alecsander I'm sure."  
  
Max closed the orange door and stared at the girl. "How do you know so much about us? I didn't even tell you my locker number!" Max was suspicious.  
  
The girl laughed "I'm sorry, I must be making you nervous! Don't worry, you're new, you're beautiful and you're rich. Fresh meat for the pack of wolves. I, like every other person in this school by this time know your name, address, locker number and schedule. The only thing left to find out is the amount of zeros on you account... give the hackers some time, we'll have it by tomorrow."  
  
Max was taken aback by the girls words but she reassured her by saying "Ah, don't worry about it MJ, that's just the way this school is... everyone is curious about everyone and it's hard to keep secrets... unless you are elite and you have access to every piece of information and every rumor before it spreads, that way you can control communications. That my friend, is what makes people important. Don't you ever forget that."  
  
The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Max "I just realized, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Dak, short for Dakareth."  
  
Max shook the girl's hand and smiled "I'm Maxine Jane... but I'm sure you already knew that."  
  
Dak only smiled. "Here you go, Literature classroom. Oh, and just in case anyone offers... see that room right there? The one that says Recycling room? Don't you ever go in there with a guy, it's the make out room but it's also used to play jokes on freshmen and new kids. Try to avoid it. See you at lunch MJ!"  
  
"Bye!" Max called after her. There was something about that girl that seemed a little unusual. Max shrugged the feeling off and walked into her classroom.  
  
*************  
  
The bell rang for lunch and Max walked out of her classroom gratefully. She was hungry, her butt was sore from sitting down and she was sick and tired of the classical music being played 24/7  
  
She had just stepped into the hallway when a hand grabbed her arm. She jumped up in surprise and was pretty alarmed until she heard a deep voice ask "Is it just me or is this the weirdest school you've ever been in?"  
  
Max relaxed a little, then she turned around and slapped Alec on the arm.  
  
"Ouch! Hey that hurt!"  
  
"Don't sneak up on me like that you jerk! And Alec, this is the ONLY school you've ever been in."  
  
Alec smiled at that "You mean I managed to sneak up on the always alert, forever cautious, totally aware, perfect Max? I'm honored."  
  
Max hit him again "Shut up Alec, let's just go to the cafeteria. And be nice! Remember we need to get into that group!"  
  
"Ok, ok! I don't think we're gonna have a problem with that Max."  
  
Max snorted "You are NOT the king of the world Alec."  
  
"Yeah well you're no queen either!" Alec whispered.  
  
Alec grabbed the door handle. He took a deep breath and pushed it open slowly.  
  
The noise inside seemed to stop for a moment. Everyone stared at the strikingly handsome couple walking through the doors but a second later the noise level went back to normal and Max was able to breathe again.  
  
"MJ, Alecsander! Over here!" Dak called from a table near a window  
  
"Hey, I'm so glad you found the cafeteria! Now let me introduce you to everyone ok?"  
  
Dak took Max by the arm and started pointing to the guys and girls sitting around the table.  
  
"Ok, that's Luke, Melissa, Sean and Stephanie. You know them already Max. And that's Nikki, Iker and Leo, Alecsander you know them..."  
  
"Please, call me Alec." He smiled at the girls sitting around the table, they where all extremely beautiful.  
  
"Ok, Alec. The ones you don't know are Ashley, Amanda Dave and Dade... they are twins obviously."  
  
Dave and Dade where tall and well built as all the other guys on the group. They had short black hair and deep blue eyes. Sean had dark skin and really dark eyes. Luke and Leo had lightly tanned skin and golden blonde hair. Iker was probably the most handsome of the three, he stood up and offered Max his seat.  
  
"Thanks... Aiker?"  
  
"Iker... as in Snickers but without the C" The boy had light baby-like skin. He gave Max a big smile, revealing his straight white teeth. His dark hair was slightly curly and a few bangs fell past his clear gray eyes, he tucked the strands behind his ears.  
  
Ashley leaned over Dave and whispered something to Amanda. Dave rolled his eyes as the two blonde girls giggled, Ashley ran a hand through her curly hair, which was tied up in a ponytail and Amanda tucked her straight locks behind her ears. Both of them where glancing at Alec.  
  
"Ok you two, let me give you the grand tour through he cafeteria. Then we can show you the rest of the school ok?" Dak flashed them a smile.  
  
Max shrugged "Sure, let's hear it."  
  
Alec pulled up a chair next to Max and sat down.  
  
"Ok, see that small group over there? They are our hackers." Dak pointed to a table with seven kids, they where all wearing the uniform but the girls had on black stockings and black nail polish, some of the guys had black nails too. Two of the girls had blue hair and all three girls where wearing what seemed to be several coats of makeup and black eyeliner.   
  
"Are they like the geeks here?" Alec asked.  
  
"Oh no, see that table over there? Those are the geeks." Dade pointed to another table where four boys and four girls where eating slowly.  
  
"They are the math and astronomy club. They can multiply amazing numbers in their heads." Dave explained.  
  
"And they have no sense of fashion" Melissa added.  
  
"Yeah, you should have seen their clothes a year ago, when we didn't have to wear uniforms." Nikki whispered.  
  
"Ok, ok, can I continue please? On our left we have the chess club and on our right we have the girls table." Dak pointed to a small group of five girls wearing their hair in pigtails tied with ribbons, their skirts where short, they wore knee high socks and had on very light makeup, their nails where painted pink.  
  
"They seem cute." Alec commented. Dak smiled "They are... they are five of the youngest students here, really sweet kids, everyone likes them." she commented.  
  
"So if you like them then why aren't they with you?" Max asked.  
  
"The fact that we like them doesn't mean they have what it takes to be with us."  
  
"What does it take? What is it that we have that they don't have?" Alec wanted to know.  
  
"Oh we're not sure you have what it takes just yet. That's what the initiation is for, but you'll learn all about us if you go to our meeting tonight. Let me write the address down for you." Sean grabbed a napkin, took a pen out of his coat pocked and made a small drawing.  
  
"And if we don't have what it takes?" Max asked.  
  
"Then you just become one of them, the normal kids. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get in." Dak winked at her and ate a spoonful of chocolate pudding.  
  
*************  
  
Max walked into the girl's lockers room with Dakareth Amanda and Ashley. The other three girls walked straight to their lockers and changed into their gym clothes. The three of them where wearing lacy silk underwear, Amanda's was red, Ashley's was navy blue and Dak's was black.  
  
Max looked around the room, about twenty other girls where walking around on their underwear, most of them just wore plain white but Max spotted two of the cute young girls, one of them was wearing pink lace, the other one had cotton white underwear with pink little hearts. There was something about those girls...  
  
"MJ!" Amanda tapped Max on the shoulder.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Your gym clothes and locker number."  
  
Max took a pair of small navy blue shorts and white tank top and a piece of paper from her. She, Max, checked out the number on the paper and found her locker.  
  
By the time she had changed everyone had already left. She opened the door to the gym and found twenty five girls and twenty five boys standing on a circle around some mats. In the middle of all was the teacher and Alec, who was also wearing blue shorts but with a white T-shirt.  
  
"Maxine Jane, nice of you to join us. Please step forward! My name is Mrs. Crick and I'm your gym teacher. For the past month we've been learning self defense."  
  
Mrs. Crick made a quick hand signal behind her back which both Max and Alec missed. Dak and Iker walked slowly behind Max and Alec.  
  
"You two are behind, but I'm sure with the proper amount of work we can have you up to speed in no time. Self defense is not something to be taken lightly and it requires training and experience."  
  
Mrs. Crick made another hand signal and Dak and Iker propelled themselves forward, Iker wrapped his arm around Alec's throat and Dak did the same with Max.  
  
Neither transgenic saw that coming, they didn't have time to control their reaction. Alec flipped Iker over his shoulder effortlessly and Iker landed hard on the mats. Max did the same with Dak, only she managed to land on her feet.  
  
Both Max and Alec assumed a fight stance immediately before realizing what they where doing and relaxing their bodies.  
  
Mrs. Crick was shocked "Ok, I can see you've had some training of your own. Did you take special classes? Because those two are at the top of the class."  
  
Max shrugged "I'm just a teenage girl in a broken world, my dad wanted me to be able to fight back."  
  
Max and Alec shared a glance and hoped no one suspected anything.  
  
*************  
  
When the final bell rang Max practically ran out of the school and down the front steps. She stood there next to a three and wondered if she should wait for Alec or Logan or just walk home. She hadn't had history that day so she had not seen Logan.  
  
"Hey MJ!" Dade and Dave ran to her "Remember to be at the address we gave you tonight at eight! Don't be late!"  
  
"We won't!" Max assure them.  
  
Max heard a car honk "Hey MJ, want a ride?" Logan asked her.  
  
Max shrugged "Sure, why the hell not?"  
  
She climbed into Logan's car and he drove off.  
  
"So how was your day?" He asked her.  
  
"Ok, we had a minor problem in gym class but I think we handled it well. We can talk more about it once we get home and Alec sits down with us."  
  
"Ok, want to go home right now?"  
  
Max smiled "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"Well, it's not dinner and a movie but how about some grocery shopping?"  
  
Max smiled "Sounds good to me!"  
  
************  
  
"...So I asked the boy if he even cared about Australopithecus and you know what is answer was?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well Mr. Cale... I'm a vegetarian..."  
  
Max had tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks "You'd think this guys would teach the kids something!" She grabbed a bag of fresh strawberries and threw them into the cart.  
  
"Yeah, you'd think." Logan took a tomato and showed it to Max "Does this seem ripe enough to you?"  
  
Max carefully took the tomato from his hand and took a bite "Mmm It's ripe enough!" She chewed the juicy tomato and swallowed.  
  
She noticed that Logan was staring at her.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
He moved his hand towards her face but stopped a few inches away from her cheek.  
  
"You've got some on your chin." He told her with a sad tone.  
  
Max wiped the tomato away and dried her hand on her skirt. Logan sighed.  
  
"You have no idea of what I'd give to be able to do what you just did."  
  
"Wipe juice off someone's face?" Max frowned at him. Logan just smiled sadly.  
  
Max bit her lip "Some day Logan, some day."  
  
"Yeah well you know what they say."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hope dies last."  
  
**************  
  
Max and Logan walked into the basement through the back door, laughing and carrying several paper bags full of groceries. The room was dark.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" Alec asked them. Max shrieked and Logan dropped a bag.  
  
Alec hit the lights, he had been sitting on the couch so Max hadn't seen him.  
  
"Alec what is wrong with you?" Max bent down to pick up the bag that Logan had dropped "Great, the tomatoes got squashed. This is all your fault..."  
  
"I asked you a question." Alec told them calmly, too calmly.  
  
"What does it look like? We where grocery shopping" Logan pointed to the bags they where carrying.  
  
"Together?"  
  
"Well, yeah"  
  
"What is it to you?" Max dropped the bags on the kitchen counter and placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"You where grocery shopping together! Did you have fun pushing the cart together, brushing your hands against each other while reaching for the lettuce... oh wait! You can't do that or he'd be dead!"  
  
"Alec what the hell is your problem?" Max interrupted him.  
  
"You two! What if someone saw you?!"   
  
"Alec, we live together! It's ok if we go grocery shopping..."  
  
"No Logan, we..." He pointed to himself and Max "live together, you just live above us ok? Someone could have spotted you and reported this! Do you have any idea of how it looks? Logan you could get fired! Or worse, Max could be relocated! We need to stick together for this, this is no ordinary mission! We're sleeping with the devil here, we can not afford stupid mistakes like this!" Alec yelled.  
  
"How is Max being relocated worse than me getting fired?" Logan asked to no one in particular but the transgenics ignored him.  
  
"Who died and made you CO?" Max snapped at Alec.  
  
"No one, not thanks to you! Max, this could've cost us the mission."  
  
"Well no one saw us so what's the big deal?" Max yelled back, they had been walking towards each other during their fight and Max was now shouting at his face.  
  
"Guys break it off, the neighbors are going to hear." Logan whispered urgently.  
  
Alec took a deep breath and backed off, he stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.  
  
Logan sighed "I'll go put the things away. Talk to him Max."  
  
Max pouted and shook her head. "We didn't do anything wrong Logan, he's the one who exploded for no reason!"  
  
Logan walked over to Max and took a hold of her shirt covered arm "We both know he's right Max, just talk to him."  
  
Max sighed but agreed. She knocked on the bathroom door slowly before entering without waiting for an answer.  
  
Alec was splashing his face with water "Max, go away." He didn't even look at her.  
  
"You where really worried weren't you?" Max asked him softly.  
  
"We left our homes, we gave up our lives so that we could come here and take down Manticore's new little project and you almost messed it all up! Of course I was worried!" Alec put his elbows on the sink and covered his face with his hands.  
  
"Oh, you where worried about the mission..." Max said in a very tiny voice and sat down on the rim of the bathtub.  
  
"Well sure, what else?" Alec glanced at her, She was looking at the floor, her head down. And she was pouting adorably.  
  
"Oh Max, I was worried about you too!" Alec sat down beside her and lifted her chin with two of his fingers.  
  
Her face hardened immediately "What ever"   
  
Max pushed his hand away and stood up. She was just leaving the bathroom when she stopped at the door with and her back still turned to him she asked "Just how worried where you?"  
  
Alec smiled "Oh about 98% worried about the mission, 2% worried about you." Max smiled a little and walked away but her smile widened when she heard him mutter to himself "Or was it the other way around?"  
  
__________________________________________________________  
  
Guys I'm really really sorry this took so long, I swear I'll try to update sooner! And an explanation for the whole school thing is coming up, (yes, there is a reason why things are so strange)  
  
I wanted to thank everyone who has been reviewing this story, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Also I wanted to ask... where are all the M/L fans? Keep voting!! Remember the pairing is decided by chapters, which ever couple gets the most votes for this chapter will lead the next one and so on.  
  
And if you don't want to vote then please leave a review! Your comments mean a lot to me!! 


	5. Challenges

HIGHSCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Challenges  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
Max ran up the stairs and barged into Logan's kitchen. He was putting away the groceries.  
  
"Max, everything ok?"  
  
"Sure." Max sat down on one of the stalls and picked up an apple.  
  
"Did you talk to him?" Logan sat on the one across from her.  
  
"I said I would didn't I? It's done Logan."  
  
"Ok, you know, we should talk about what you guy found out today. Why don't you go get Alec?"  
  
"Sure! ALEC! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Max yelled.  
  
"Well, I could have done that myself." Logan mumbled under his breath.  
  
Alec thundered up the stairs "What?"  
  
"We have to discuss the information we gathered." Max bit the apple and chewed.  
  
"No, we have to get ready to leave in ten minutes if you want to make it to the meeting on time." Alec leaned against the doorframe and smirked.  
  
"Oh shit! I forgot about that!" Max fled down the stairs and slammed her closet open.  
  
Alec had to jump out of the way to avoid getting knocked down by her.  
  
"What meeting?" Logan asked Alec.  
  
"Remember the popular kids Sebastian told us to mingle with? Well as it turns out they hold meetings in a secret place. We have to go there today, there's some kind of initiation or something, we have to pass that to join the group."  
  
"Alec! What are you wearing?" Max yelled.  
  
"My school uniform" Alec yelled back sarcastically.  
  
Max appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a black bra and her leather pants. Logan almost had a heart attack at the sight of her bare flesh, Alec seemed unaffected and that bothered Logan for some reason.  
  
"I mean to the meeting you ass." Max scolded him and held up two blouses, a blue one and a black one.  
  
Alec sighed, he was trying hard not to let his reaction to her show. He convinced himself that he would have to get used to it, they DID live together and he HAD bugged her about being so modest.  
  
"You're wearing leather pants?"  
  
Max frowned "What are you wearing?"  
  
"Jeans. You should do the same! It's just a meeting after all"  
  
Max sighed and ran down the stairs.  
  
Logan and Alec exchanged glances.  
  
"Oh and Max?"  
  
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around to glance at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The black one." Logan and Alec said together. Max smiled and disappeared from view.  
  
*************  
  
Max walked out of the bathroom wearing skin tight jeans and a sleeveless black shirt with the word Brat written in glitter, her hair was up and held in place with two Chinese sticks, a few curly locks framed her face and she was wearing a very light coat of lipstick and lip gloss.  
  
She found Alec lying down on his bed, wearing his uniform.  
  
"Alec! You're not ready? It's really late!" Max screamed at him, she stormed to his closet and tore though it until she found something for him to wear.  
  
She tossed the clothes at him and he frowned.  
  
He held up the black undershirt and the green button down shirt and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What? I like that shirt, matches your eyes." Max shrugged.  
  
Alec raised his eyebrows even higher but changed without complaining. He left the green shirt unbuttoned over the black undershirt and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
Max had to admit, he looked amazing.  
  
"Logan, we're leaving!" Max yelled.  
  
"Want me to drive you?" He appeared at the top of the stairs  
  
"No, it's supposed to be a secret location." Max told him.  
  
Logan was staring at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You look amazing."  
  
Max smiled "Thanks! Let's go Alec." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the back door. "Do you have the address?"  
  
Alec gave her a look.  
  
*************  
  
"Are you sure this is the way?" Max asked Alec for the tenth time.  
  
"Yes Max, we have to walk through the woods to get to the house." Alec answered patiently for the tenth time.  
  
"I see a light!" Alec pointed at what seemed to be a fire. As they approached they discovered that the fire was outside a huge colonial mansion.  
  
"Oh my god, no wonder they wanted to keep this secret. That place is so beautiful." Max stopped to look at the house. Alec moved the flashlight around, to alert the kids of their presence. They didn't really need a flashlight, since they had night vision, but two teenagers finding their way around the woods in the dark would be too suspicious.  
  
"Hey! Look who's here!" Iker pointed at them. The twelve members of the group where sitting around the fire, making smores.  
  
"Hi!" Max waved at everyone and sat down next to Iker. Alec took a seat next to her.  
  
Nikki, who was sitting next to Alec, handed him the bag of marshmallows.  
  
"Ok, I'm glad you two are here, now we can get started." Leo stood up and smiled at the crowd.  
  
"We asked you to come here tonight so that we could explain the rules of the game to you, so to speak. There are a lot of things you need to know about us and about the school. First of all, maybe we should tell you the school rules. You are not allowed to date your roommate or housemate, if they find out you're dating someone on your own building you will be relocated."  
  
Max and Alec exchanged a glance, Leo raised an eyebrow. "I hope that's not a problem for you two. The teachers like to leave optional work, you know for extra credits? But most of it is really hard, mostly the geeks are the ones who do that but Dak nailed one last week didn't you Dakareth?" Leo smiled proudly at Dak, she smiled back.  
  
"What did you do?" Max asked.  
  
"Nothing, I just improved the flu vaccine they have been giving us." She blushed a little.  
  
"Flu vaccine?" Alec frowned  
  
"Yeah, every Friday we get a flu shot, we never get sick and no one misses school. They have been doing it for a year or so." Leo told them.  
  
"Anyway, as for the group rules, we take small tests every week."  
  
"Tests? What kind of tests?" Max glanced around the circle, everyone was smiling mischievously.  
  
"It's nothing, small dares, really fun stuff!" Amanda glanced at Ashley and they giggled.  
  
"We have a hat, we call it the magic hat. Someone, anonymously, comes here every week and drops 12 pieces of paper into it. If you have an idea then you may write it down and drop it in too." Ashley told them.  
  
"We should do the picking right now, show them how it's done. Then we can tell them about their initiation." Amanda grabbed the black top hat from the ground and reached inside, she grabbed a piece of paper and gave the hat to Sean.  
  
After everyone but Max and Alec had a paper they all opened it and read it out loud.  
  
"Karaoke singing." Stephanie told them.  
  
"Me too." Luke, Melissa and Sean said.  
  
"Skinny dipping at the lake." Dade said.  
  
Amanda, Ashley and Iker nodded.  
  
Dak frowned at hers "Riding every ride at Six Flags? Who wrote this?" She held up the paper.  
  
Dave smiled "Come on Dak, you know it's anonymous. Plus I'm with you."  
  
Nikki and Leo glanced at each other "Us too!"  
  
"Ok, let's tell MJ and Alec their initiations now." Dak stood up and brushed her pants.  
  
"Ok kids, the initiation is not easy. It's designed to test your abilities and get rid of your inhibitions because if you do join we will become your family, that's what the dares are for too, they help get rid of inhibitions and make you stronger."  
  
Max gulped she did not like the sound of that.  
  
"Alec, your mission if you choose to accept it..."  
  
"Oh come on Dak, what's up with the drama?" Dade groaned.  
  
Dak gave him a look and continued "As I was saying, your mission is to seduce this girl."  
  
Dak handed him a picture of a girl he identified as one of the hackers.  
  
"You will sleep with her, get to her computer and download the files named GC, PC and PTA."  
  
Alec's eyes where wide, he had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything.  
  
Max clenched her hands into fists but said nothing.  
  
"And what happens with the girl afterwards?"  
  
"Nothing, you tell her it was a one night thing, that you have a reputation to keep or what ever. Be sure to use protection and have a good time. Now MJ, your mission is a little different."  
  
Max held her breath and waited for Dak to continue "You are going to strip."  
  
"Strip?"  
  
Dak nodded "There's a popular strip club nearby, we need to know who goes in and out. You have to apply for a job there, go in, place a camera and then just do your work."  
  
Max swallowed "Do I really have to strip? Because I can put the camera and get out."  
  
Dak shook her head "One, it would be too suspicious, two, you need to strip, remember we need to get rid..."  
  
"Of my inhibitions, I got that." Max sighed.  
  
Dak gave her a sympathetic smile "You have to install the camera first, we need to make sure you actually go through with everything."  
  
Max sighed but nodded.  
  
"If both your missions are successfully then you will tag along to every dare we have to do for this week, you will go to Six Flags Saturday morning, Karaoke singing on the evening and skinny dipping at night. If everything goes well the final phase of your initiation will take place Saturday night. We'll tell you what it is once the time comes. So are you in or are you out?"  
  
Alec and Max exchanged glances  
  
"We're in."  
  
*************  
  
Max slammed the door open and walked into her place. She walked over to her bed and laid down on her stomach, burying her face on a pillow.  
  
"Max, Alec, you guys down there?" Logan knocked on their door and walked in.  
  
He glanced from Max to Alec, who was sprawled all over the couch.  
  
"I take it didn't go too well."  
  
Alec sighed "The meeting itself wasn't bad. It was just not what we expected."  
  
Logan frowned "Let's go into the living room. I made some snacks and we really need to talk about everything."  
  
Max groaned "Can't we do it tomorrow? I have tons of homework and some studying to do and I..."  
  
"Max" Alec got up from the couch and walked to her bed, he sat down besides her and rubbed her back "You're not going to make this go away by ignoring it. We have things to plan and to discuss. There's got to be a way out of this."  
  
Max hated to admit it to herself but he was right. She shrugged his hand off and got up.  
  
"Ok then, let's make this quick."  
  
************* "Why would they make you strip? What's the big deal with this whole inhibition thing?" Logan was shocked by the story.  
  
"I don't know but would you please not say 'inhibition' again? I'm sick and tired of hearing that word." Max rubbed her temples and groaned.  
  
"I know why they are doing it, it was completely normal back at Manticore." Alec said slowly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well Max, you left when we where really young, you should have waited until we started having some sex appeal."  
  
Max leaned towards him and whispered "What?"  
  
"They thought us a lot of stuff Max, they wanted us to be able to perform well on our missions. They couldn't just send us out and expect us to know how to behave, how to win a lady over, they trained us Max."  
  
"Oh my God"  
  
"Some of the missions where pretty much what I have to do now, go in, have sex with the target, obtain information and get out. They did that Max, and we needed to be comfortable with it. The showers where co-ed, we had training on seducing targets, we had lovers skills, the works. Why do you think I didn't even complain when we where paired off? I was used to it Max."  
  
Max covered her mouth with her hand "Oh Alec I'm so sorry."  
  
Alec shrugged "It's no big deal, let's just get this over with so that I can go to bed ok?"  
  
"But Alec are you."  
  
"I said it's no big deal! Now let's get back to work."  
  
"Alec."  
  
"Something's off with the music." Alec interrupted Max before she could say anything else.  
  
"Excuse me?" Logan asked.  
  
"The music, on the classrooms? You know Mozart? There's something wrong with it, a little sound or something. It might be nothing, maybe the sound system is just old."  
  
"Or maybe it's some kind of subliminal message." Logan leaned forward on his seat.  
  
"No, I listened to it all morning and there are no words, just noise." Max took a bite of a sandwich and leaned back on the couch next to Alec.  
  
"Dak said something really weird to me."  
  
"Is she a really pretty girl with brown hair and green eyes?" Logan interrupted.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I gave her a class today."  
  
"Oh, well anyway, she said something about everyone being really curious, but she said not to worry, that if I became elite I would get a hold of information before it was released and I would be able to control it."  
  
Alec nodded "Something about controlling communication, being important. I got that too, but it did bug me how everyone in the elite seemed to know so much about us. I guess it's just normal considering we're new and all."  
  
Logan frowned "Hold on, how much did they know about you?"  
  
Max bit her lip "They know our names, schedules, locker numbers, the money in our accounts, the works."  
  
"Max, that is NOT normal." Logan ran a hand though his hair.  
  
"Well, anyway, we have a few established social groups or something." Alec said  
  
"Yeah, we have the geeks, the astronomy and math club, the chess club, the hackers."  
  
"Don't forget that group of young cute girls." Alec interrupted.  
  
"Hold on, how did you recognize all this groups?"  
  
"Oh Logan it's just like the movies you know? Different tables, everyone sitting in groups, everyone knows about them and you can spot them a mile away."  
  
Logan frowned "Max, that's not normal either, it just doesn't happen like that."  
  
"Oh shit, wait a second!" Alec stood up suddenly.  
  
"What?" Max asked him  
  
"It's so obvious! I can't believe we didn't notice this before!" Alec sat back down "Geeks? Intelligence, Chess club? Strategists, Astronomy club?"  
  
"Recon" Max filled in for him "Or maybe just scientist"  
  
"What about the cute girls?" She wondered.  
  
Max and Alec glanced at each other "Oh my god."  
  
"What?" Logan asked.  
  
"Psy ops" They said together  
  
"And what about the rest of the kids? Any more categories?"  
  
"Well no, they are just normal kids. Part of the bunch." Max said  
  
"They must be the X series." Logan rubbed his temples.  
  
"Ok, but what about the elite?"  
  
Max thought about it for a moment "Oh shit!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"They are COs!"  
  
The room became silent for a moment.  
  
"Max, we really need to be a part of that group. There's just no way around it. We have to go through with the initiation."  
  
Max sighed "I know."  
  
Logan rubbed the bridge of his nose "You guys, do you know what this means?" He asked them.  
  
"We're really inside a new Manticore facility."  
  
"For real." Alec rubbed his temple.  
  
"For real for sure." Max sat back and wondered to herself, how the heck where they going to pull this one off?  
  
__________________________________________________________  
  
See? I gave you a chapter fast! The language might be a little strong, what do you think? And I know what you must be thinking, Max stripping? Yeah right! Well she DID give Alec a lap dance once so... who knows? Besides, I don't know if she's going to go through with it yet.  
  
Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for the reviews! Those of you who want some action, or some physical contact, I'll give you some next chapter, I promise!  
  
Please remember to vote, the voting will be ending soon, I'll have to take a side eventually so give me your opinion while you still can! And please, M/L lovers, don't flame me by telling me that my writing sucks because I'm writing something that will probably turn M/A! Please don't flame me unless you've read this far and you consider the story to be bad.  
  
Oh and I just wanted to thank Scarlet, you rock girl! 


	6. Accidents

HIGHSCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Accidents  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
Max sat up gasping, her nightgown soaked in cold sweat.  
  
"You ok?" Alec was sitting on the edge of his bed, playing with the ends of his silk boxers.  
  
"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare." Max was still breathing heavily.  
  
"I know, I heard you. I was just about to shake you awake." Alec got up and grabbed the glass of water sitting on his night stand. He walked over to her bed and sat down next to her. "Here, drink some water. You'll feel better."  
  
Max gulped the water down, she was really thirsty.  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
"Not really. Was I screaming?" Max stared at her hands while she asked him.  
  
"No"  
  
"Was I talking? I never talk in my sleep."  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Moaning?"  
  
"Not that I could tell."  
  
Max placed the glass delicately on the night table. "Well, how did you know I was having a nightmare?"  
  
"You where tossing around."  
  
"And that woke you up?" Max asked incredulously.  
  
"I'm a light sleeper Max."  
  
"No you're not! You sleep like a log most of the time!" They where both quiet for a moment "You where already up." It was not a question, it was a statement.  
  
Alec didn't answer.  
  
"So, want to talk about your nightmare?" Max tossed the covers aside and sat up straight.  
  
"Not really. We should go back to sleep."  
  
"I don't want to sleep anymore." Max sat up and grabbed her black pants from the closet.  
  
"Max, where are you going it's 3:30!" Alec hissed.  
  
"I'm taking a walk, want to come?" She turned her back to him and changed into her black shirt.  
  
"No way, it's raining!" Alec laid down on Max's bed and closed his eyes.  
  
"Fine." She grabbed some money and walked to the door.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Max stopped and heard Alec groan "Give me a minute to get changed."  
  
She smiled and sat down on the couch.  
  
*************  
  
"If I catch a cold I swear I'll hurt you." Alec sulked while they walked down the street.  
  
"Yeah, right, like you would ever catch a cold." Max closed her eyes and tossed her head back. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.  
  
"Max, please don't do that. You're drinking the closest thing we have to acid rain which doesn't actually burn your skin"  
  
Max just smiled "Come on Alec! Have a little fun!"  
  
He snorted "Look who is talking! I happen to think I'm much better at this whole fun thing than you."  
  
"Hey! Just because I'm a little..."  
  
"Bitchy?" Alec filled in for her.  
  
"Careful, it doesn't mean I can't have fun!"  
  
Alec smiled "Ok, let's do something fun! I'll race you to the end of the street."  
  
Max considered it for a moment "Ok, but no blurring!"  
  
"Deal!"  
  
Alec had not even finished talking when Max was already off.  
  
"Hey! not fair!" He yelled and tore after her.  
  
He caught up with her in no time, they ran side by side for the rest of the street until they reached the corner. They where both laughing by then.  
  
"It had been so long since the last time I did that." Max shook her wet hair, hitting Alec with the fat droplets.  
  
Alec smiled, then his smile turned into a grin "Hey, check that out!"   
  
They where standing outside a car lot.   
  
Max glanced up and discovered the car Alec had his eyes on. It was a shiny black BMW, convertible.   
  
"Wow" Max whispered.  
  
"Damn, she's beautiful." Alec said under his breath.  
  
They heard the screech of tires coming up behind them. Alec grabbed Max by the waist and dove behind some bushes. Max landed on top of him but quickly scrambled to the edge of the bushes, hoping to take a good look at the careless driver. Alec sat up and cursed at the mud on his clothes and hair.  
  
The car approached them quickly   
  
"Who the hell can that be? No one in their right minds would go out this late at night and with this rain!" Alec whispered.  
  
Max gave Alec a look and continued to peek.   
  
A black jeep drove by them very quickly, but not before the two transgenics took a good look at the driver and the passenger.  
  
"That was Iker!" Alec whispered urgently.  
  
"And Dave was with him. I thought they lived at the dorm."  
  
"They do."  
  
Max turned around to look at Alec "The dorm has a curfew. They are supposed to be home by midnight on school days. It's almost four."  
  
Alec stood up and Max tried to do so too but she was wearing sneakers and the mud was slippery. She fell on her butt and cursed loudly.  
  
Alec offered her a hand, which she took.  
  
"Come on, let's go home." Alec tried to shake some of the mud off his hair but found it impossible.  
  
"Fine, but let me just say, we desperately need a bath. That by the way is entirely your fault thank you very much."  
  
"What ever" Alec mumbled and they walked home in deep thought.  
  
*************  
  
The first thing Alec did when they walked into their bedroom was toss his shirt and pants aside, but a crust of mud still covered his hair and neck.  
  
"I'm going to take a bath." Max unbuttoned her pants and took of her shirt, leaving her tank top on.  
  
"Aww Max! Please let me shower first! I actually need some more sleep." Alec begged.  
  
Max sighed "Fine, but if you leave mud all over the place or the toilet seat up I WILL kick your ass."  
  
Alec stuck his tongue out  
  
"Oh, real mature. Grow up Alec!" Max shoved him in the direction of the bathroom and closed the door.  
  
Max opened the fridge and took out a carton of milk. She turned on the TV, sat on the couch and grabbed her chemistry book.  
  
She leafed through it extremely quickly, knowing that every single word was being stored in the back of her mind and she would have no problem accessing it when she needed it.  
  
That was how Alec found her a few minutes later.  
  
"What are you reading?" He was wearing his silk boxers again, Max had noticed that was the only thing he wore to bed, silk boxers.  
  
"Chem, there are some interesting things here."  
  
"Really?" Alec took the carton of milk from her hand and drank thirstily.  
  
"Yeah. You should read it some time."  
  
"Trust me, I will." He stood up and stretched "Good night Maxie, wake me up in a couple of hours will you?" Alec asked before going to bed.  
  
Max nodded without looking up from the book.  
  
*************  
  
"Guys, are you ready? Breakfast is getting cold!" Logan called from the top of the stairs.  
  
When no one answered he walked downstairs and found Max asleep on the couch with her chemistry book on her lap and an empty carton of milk next to her. Alec was still sleeping peacefully on his bed.  
  
"Oh my God, I can't believe you're still asleep!" Logan walked over to Max, her hair was wet and she smelled like cherries, Logan suspected she had taken a bath recently.  
  
"Max, wake up!" Logan wanted to shake her awake but she couldn't risk touching her so he woke up Alec instead.  
  
"Alec!"   
  
"What?"  
  
"It's 7:40, get up, get dressed and meet me outside in ten minutes. Oh and wake Max up will you?"  
  
Alec groaned and got up slowly, rubbing his face with his hands. He walked over to the couch slowly and sat down next to Max.  
  
"Come on Maxie, time to get up." He shook her shoulder softly.  
  
"Ten more minutes, please." Max groaned.  
  
"Fine, scoot over."   
  
Max rolled over, pressing her back to the couch and leaving room for Alec. He crawled under the sheet that he had thrown over her the night before and closed his eyes.  
  
Max, still no fully awake, rested her head on his shoulder and immediately dozed off.  
  
That's how Logan found them fifteen minutes later. He thundered down the stairs yelling at the top of his lungs.  
  
"We are so late! You better be ready to go... OH MY GOD YOU'RE ASLEEP?!"   
  
Max and Alec opened their eyes slowly, frowning at the noise. They found each other face to face and their eyes opened wide.  
  
"What the hell?!" Max tried to scramble off the couch at the same time Alec did, the force of their bodies sent them tumbling backwards, with the couch on top of them.  
  
"Shit Alec! Get off me!" Max screamed from under the couch.  
  
"Logan, some help here!" Alec yelled, frustrated and stuck under the heavy blue couch.  
  
Logan would have helped, if he could only stop laughing.  
  
"Logan, my man, this is NOT funny! I'm stuck on top of your girlfriend!"  
  
That snapped Logan out of his laughing fit. He ran to them and tried to lift the couch.  
  
"We're not even like that!" Max slapped Alec's arm. He groaned in fake pain and tried to turn over so that he could help Logan with the couch from underneath.  
  
"Ouch! Don't move you idiot! That's my chest underneath yours!" Max screamed in pain at his movements.  
  
"Well I can't help Logan if I don't turn over!" He said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Then don't" Max responded in the same way, her nose almost touching his.  
  
"Ok Logan, I have an idea. Move back." Max commanded him.  
  
"What ever you say." Logan took a step back and allowed himself to smile, the situation was just funny.  
  
Max pressed Alec's head against her neck with her free hand "Don't move or I might hit you on the head." She told him.  
  
"Oh I'm not complaining."  
  
That earned Alec another slap on the shoulder.  
  
Max bent her legs as much as she could and took a deep breath, then she kicked the couch away from them. It went flying against the wall.  
  
"Wow, I'm impressed." Logan smiled at Max but she didn't return his smile, she was still trapped underneath Alec and they where both tangled on the sheet.  
  
"Ok Logan, now we need some help." Alec said to Logan.  
  
"No, he can't! We might touch. Right now I'm not sure which skin is yours and which is mine." Max wiggled under Alec.  
  
He looked down at their very tangled bodies, one of Max's hands was on his back, trying to pull the bed sheet away from them.  
  
"Max, where's your other hand?"  
  
Max wiggled her fingers and Alec jumped as much as the tight sheet would allow him. "HEY!"  
  
"Well, you asked!" Max bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable.  
  
"How did you two end up on the couch anyway?" Logan sat down on the coffee table and glanced at his watch.  
  
"I went to wake her up, she asked for 10 more minutes... after that I'm not very sure." Alec rolled over so that Max was on top.  
  
"No, wait, let's roll the other way." Max rolled them over twice, slowly unwrapping the bed sheet.  
  
"That's it, two more." Alec wrapped one arm around her back and flipped them over twice.  
  
Finally they where free from the sheet. Max sat up, unconsciously straddling his hips, but when she tried to move away she discovered that her watch was stuck on something.  
  
She groaned, afraid to look down but knowing she had to.  
  
Sure enough, her watch was stuck on Alec's boxers.  
  
"Oh for the love of... could this day suck any harder?" She offered Alec her free hand, they had to stand up together or he would loose his boxers.  
  
Logan rubbed his temples "How can two people get into so much trouble in so little time? Max, just take off your watch."  
  
"I can't!" Max shrieked.  
  
"No sweat, I'll just take off my boxers." Alec shrugged.  
  
"No you wont!" Max and Logan exclaimed together.  
  
"Let me try pulling."  
  
Alec caught her wrist before she moved it "No one is pulling anything." He said seriously.  
  
"Well I can't work like this" Max knelt down in front of him, lowering his boxers a little.  
  
"Hey! Careful! Max, just let me take them off, you can close your eyes or enjoy the view I don't care. We're going to be really late for school!"  
  
Max considered his offer, she really didn't know why she had a problem with seeing him naked.  
  
Logan saw her hesitation and stood up quickly "I'll go get some scissors."  
  
"NO YOU WILL NOT!" Alec took a step away from Max, she fell on her butt and cried out "Hey!" but the movement had somehow freed her watch from Alec's boxers.  
  
The three of them stood there for a second, clearly relieved that it was all over. Then Logan glanced at his watch and exclaimed "Damn! Look at the time!"  
  
Max scrambled around the room, she grabbed a pair of socks and her bra from a drawer and her skirt and shirt from the closet. She ran into the bathroom and changed in ten seconds flat.   
  
When she came out she found Alec slipping on his shoes, with his tie undone around his neck.  
  
Alec handed tossed Max her shoes and grabbed their backpacks and her hand "Come on, Logan's waiting outside."  
"I can walk by myself you know?" Max took her hand away from his  
  
"Yeah, but not as fast!"  
  
They both jumped into the back seat and Logan took off. Max slipped on her shoes and did Alec's tie. Logan handed them both a package of Pop Tarts and a carton of juice.  
  
"What is this lunch?" Alec held up the food.  
  
"No, breakfast. Wherever you went last night, you must have burned a lot of energy to be that tired."  
  
Max munched on her breakfast "How did you know we went out?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep so I tried hacking into the school's security system, you know, cameras and records and stuff. Well it turns out that it's way too tight, firewalls and codes everywhere! It's going to take some time."  
  
"Oh," Max took another bite of her pop tart and washed it down with juice.  
  
"Max?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did you even comb your hair before leaving the house?" Alec asked her, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Oh shit!" Max ran a hand through her hair and groaned. It was curly and it stuck up funny.  
  
Logan reached into the glove compartment of the car and handed her a rubber band.  
  
"Thanks!" Max pulled her hair into a pony tail and checked for bumps.  
  
"You look fine Max, and besides we're here." Logan parked the car and the two teenagers jumped out.  
  
"Bye, see you later!" They called over their shoulders while they ran to get to their home rooms.  
  
*************  
  
"MJ! Hey MJ! Wait up!" Dak yelled after her.  
  
"Oh hey Alec, MJ I need to talk to you!"  
  
Alec shrugged "I'll see you later then?"  
  
"Yeah... we have a class together today right?" Max cradled her books to her chest as they rushed through the halls.  
  
"Yeah, Chemistry next period." Alec reached his homeroom. He handed Max her back pack and disappeared from view.  
  
"So Dak, what did you want to talk about?" Max asked her while they walked hurriedly to their classes. They ran into Ashley at the coffee machine.  
  
"Oh hey Ash, what's up?" Max stopped for a moment to chat. Dak didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Nothing really, I just need some coffee to get me working. Dak have you told her yet?"   
  
"Told me what?" Max asked.  
  
Dak lowered her voice "Well, we where thinking and decided that you probably don't have any appropriate outfits for your dare so we are going shopping today!"  
  
Max was a little bit shocked "Today? I have until Friday to do that thing, can't this wait?"  
  
The two teenagers glanced at each other "Well, the thing is you have to do your dare tomorrow night. We need the camera in place for the weekend."  
  
Max froze, she took a deep breath and tried very hard not to freak out.  
  
"But I thought I had more time to prepare and..."  
  
"MJ, you'll be fine! You just need the proper outfit!" Ashley offered Max a cup of coffee and she took it. She offered one to Dak to but the pretty brunet shook her head.  
  
The bell rang then and the girls scrambled to their respective classrooms.  
  
*************  
  
Max sat at her desk during Math class, deep in thought. There was something really wrong about everything, other than the obvious of course. Something they seemed to be missing...  
  
"MJ? MJ are you listening to me?" Mr. Watson was standing next to her and she had no idea why.  
  
"Oh, yeah, of course." Max said but just stared at him, she had no idea of what he was talking about.  
  
"Your homework MJ."  
  
"Oh yeah! Let me just..." Max opened her bag to discover a pair of big black tennis shoes.  
  
"Shit!" She said under her breath "Hum... Mr. Watson? My roommate and I seem to have switched backpacks by mistake."  
  
Mr. Watson stared at her gray, blue and black JANSPORT backpack "You two have the same bag?"  
  
Max thought about that for a second, they had not bought the backpacks together, yet they where identical and she wondered why. She knew why she had picked it, it was light and normal looking and best of all, it had a combination of colors that she could not resist.  
  
"Hum yeah, we bought them when we met at the airport back in Seattle." She quickly improvised.  
  
"Well, did Alecsander do his homework?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't really want to go through his bag."  
  
The teacher sighed "Fine then, I have a class with Alecsander before lunch, he better hand me your homework!"  
  
"Yeah, he better." Max said under her breath as she drank the rest of her coffee.  
  
*************  
  
Alec couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. He tried very hard to listen to Mrs. Hooke going on and on about human reproduction. He certainly did not need any kind of lessons in that department.  
  
"Alec?" Iker whispered behind him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine, I'm just tired." Alec yawned and laid his head on his arms.  
  
Iker handed him a small package, Alec opened it slowly, trying not to make any noise.  
  
It was a pill  
  
"Sorry, I don't do drugs." Alec handed the pill back to Iker.  
  
"Me neither, it's a caffeine pill Alec! It'll help you concentrate!"  
  
Alec took the pill back and sighed. He really was tired and his muscles ached a little, and if it was what Iker said then what harm could it do? Not that it would harm him anyway, he was immune to drugs.  
  
He took a deep breath and plopped the pill into his mouth.  
  
*************  
  
Max walked into her chemistry classroom and sat down near the back. She made sure there was an empty seat next to her for Alec.  
  
A boy slowly walked up to her and sat on the seat she was saving. Max recognized him as one of the geeks, his hair was perfectly in place, his tie carefully done and his shoes didn't have a speck of dirt on them. He was a little bit short, his black hair was a little bit greasy and he had a big nose but other than that he seemed like a totally normal kid. Max had been expecting something like thick glasses and a little bit of extra fat or too little of it for that matter.  
  
"Hey, excuse me, could you sit somewhere else? I was kind of hoping to sit next to someone." Max whispered sweetly.  
  
She could literally see him melt into a little geek puddle.  
  
"Hum... sure! Ok! I know you must want to talk with one of your lady friends!" The guy stood up quickly and grabbed his bag. He started to walk away but changed his mind and turned around to face Max "My name is Tom by the..."  
  
"Alec!" Max called to him, he had just walked in but hadn't seen her because Tom was blocking his view.  
  
Alec smiled and rushed over to her side. He sat on the empty desk and switched backpacks with her.  
  
"Hey, you should have seen the look on Iker's face when he went through my bag to find a pen and found a black sports bra instead." Alec ran a hand through his hair, it was getting a little bit too long and he hadn't even brushed it that morning.  
  
Tom stared at Alec for a moment, there was an expression on his face that Max couldn't read, but she wasn't really paying attention.  
  
"I know, my math homework went with you! Here, let me give it to you so that you can hand it in for me." Max handed him a piece of paper.  
  
"Great! Can I copy it? I sort of forgot we had homework."  
  
"Sure, just change an answer or something, we can't seem too smart."  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
Tom had walked away by then, he was sitting near the front of the classroom.  
  
"Hey Max, how good are you with scissors?" Alec whispered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I need a haircut." He ran a hand through his hair again.  
  
"I'll do it, I'm sure I won't cut your ear nor anything."  
  
"Great, thanks! Today after school?"  
  
Max sobered "I can't, the girls want to take me shopping."  
  
"Shopping?" Alec leaned closer to her, he moved his desk so that they where almost touching.  
  
"Yeah, for the initiation thing. They say I have to do it tomorrow." Max whispered.  
  
Alec's face fell "So soon? Oh Max I'm so sorry."  
  
Max shrugged "What ever, it was gonna happen sooner or later."  
  
"Yeah but we never thought this soon!"  
  
"Hey kids!" Max and Alec's faces snapped up. Luke was standing in front of them.  
  
"Luke, my man, what's up?" Alec smiled at him, hoping he hadn't overheard.  
  
"Not much. How far along are you with your initiation?"  
  
"Far along?" Alec frowned  
  
"Yeah, you better be doing some progress, we need the information for Wednesday before midnight.  
  
Max cursed under her breath as did Alec.  
  
"I'm working on it Luke, it would help if you'd tell me the name of the girl."  
  
Luke smiled "Her name is Kat, she's sitting right over there." Luke pointed to a girl sitting five seats away. There was an empty seat next to her.  
  
"You should go to her, start making conversation." Luke suggested.  
  
Max gave Alec a pleading look, there was obviously something she wanted to tell him. He didn't want to leave any more than she did.  
  
Alec sighed and got up. Luke smiled and took his desk.  
  
Alec sat down next to the girl and smiled "Hey... Kat right?"  
  
The gothic looking girl turned to look at him, she seemed a little unimpressed.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you have an extra pen I can borrow? I can't seem to find one."  
  
Kat sighed she seemed to want nothing to do with him but she did reach into her bag and handed him a black pen.  
  
"Thanks!" Alec said enthusiastically.   
  
"What ever, I want that back." Kat closed her notebook and Alec saw a picture of a pre pulse rock star on it.  
  
"Hey, you like Marilyn Manson?" Alec pointed at the notebook "Cuz I do, Sweet Dreams is one of the best songs ever."  
  
That caught the girl's attention, she turned her body around completely to face him, apparently noticing his striking looks for the first time.  
  
"I love Marilyn Manson!"  
  
"He's got her! It took him like ten seconds!" Luke whispered to Max, clearly impressed.  
  
She, how ever, was not. She knew there was not a single living female soul who could refuse that smile of his that reached his eyes or the way he stared at you when you talked, making you feel like the only person in the room.  
  
Max had known the girl would fall for him. She hid her face on her hands and sighed, trying not to look too disappointed.  
  
*************  
  
"So please write down, what do you think is the most interesting part of history?" Logan smiled at Max, she smiled back and bent her head down to write.  
  
"Don't forget to write your name! I'm not a mind reader!" Logan reminded them all.  
  
The class worked in silence for about ten minutes, Max kept looking up to try and have a silent conversation with Logan but it was difficult for him to mouth words, since he was standing in front of a classroom.  
  
"Ok guys, time's up! I want your papers now!" Logan announced. The kids finished writing quickly and handed him their papers.  
  
Max stood up last, she wanted to whisper something to Logan, just to let him know that she was going to be late that night.  
  
She handed him the paper, without really paying attention. Their hands brushed slightly.  
  
Max looked down at his hand in horror.  
  
"Go wash your hands!" She said seriously.  
  
"Max... I"  
  
"Go wash you hands damn it!" Max almost yelled.  
  
Logan nodded and ran out of the room. Max staid there for a few seconds, trying to steady her breathing before following him.  
  
*************  
  
Alec heard some kind of commotion on the classroom next door, he knew it was Logan's classroom so he tried to listen.  
  
He heard people getting up, then Max's voice, she said something in a soft voice that he couldn't make out. Then she screamed "Go wash your hands damn it!"  
  
Alec took a deep breath, he knew what it was all about, they had probably touched.  
  
He grabbed his backpack and got up.  
  
"Alecsander, what are you doing?" The teacher stopped the lesson.  
  
"I'm sorry." Was all Alec said before leaving the room.  
  
*************  
  
Max slammed open the door to the men's room and walked in. There was another guy there besides Logan, probably a freshman. He glanced up at the noise, noticed Max and hurriedly tried to zip up his pants without hurting himself.  
  
"Out!" Max glared at him.  
  
The boy didn't need to be told twice.  
  
Logan raised his hands for Max to see "Nothing happened see? I'm fine Max."  
  
She shook her head "I almost killed you. All I wanted to do was hand you the paper and tell you that I'm going to be late tonight and I almost killed you!"  
  
She grabbed the pen that was stuck on her hair and bit off the end, then she smeared ink all over Logan's hands.  
  
"Go back to class I... I've got to go somewhere." Max opened the bathroom door and rushed off.  
  
Alec saw her leaving the bathroom. He wanted to go after her but had to see if Logan was ok first.  
  
He opened the door slowly, Logan was sitting on the sink, staring at his ink covered hands.  
  
"You ok?" Alec asked.  
  
"Fine. Could you... could you go after Max? I don't want her to do anything stupid."  
  
Alec nodded "You don't even have to tell me. Did she leave her bag on your classroom?"  
  
Logan nodded  
  
"I'll be by to pick it up before lunch." Alec told him before running after Max.  
  
"Max! Hey Max, stop!"  
  
"I don't want to talk." Max informed him and walked faster.  
  
"You don't have to... Max!" He caught up with her and grabbed her arm.  
  
"What?" She finally looked at him, her eyes met his and held his gaze on a stare contest for a couple of seconds.  
  
"We don't have to talk about it. There's a coffee house inside the campus, next to the greenhouse. Please, just let me buy you a coffee. We can just sit there quietly if you want."  
  
Max sighed "Yeah, right."  
  
Alec's face fell.  
  
"You, sitting quietly, like that's ever going to happen."  
  
Alec smiled hopefully and Max smiled back "But you're buying!"  
  
Alec grinned "I said I would didn't I?"  
  
*************  
  
Logan walked out of his classroom slowly when the bell rang. They had a 10 minute break so he decided to walk around and get to know the rest of the school.  
  
He walked by the lab and decided to peek inside.  
  
He found a young girl sitting on one of the desks, looking at a microscope and making some notes.  
  
"Hey, what are you working on?"  
  
The girl jumped about a mile and looked up. Logan apologized quickly "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"  
  
"No it's ok, I just get distracted when I'm working." The girl smiled at him "You're Mr. Cale right?"  
  
Logan nodded "So what are you working on?"  
  
"Oh just one of those projects that we get assigned for extra credit. This girl Dakareth found a new vaccine for the flu, I'm just checking her work."  
  
Logan frowned "You make vaccines?"  
  
The girl nodded "For some stuff, we do what ever they tell us to do. I'm really good with chemistry and I love spending time in the lab so I usually do a lot of extra work."  
  
Logan smiled, an idea crossing through his head "You know, we had something like this at my old school. I think I brought one of the projects with me, want to give it a shot?"  
  
The girl's face brightened "Oh I would love to! I'm done with this anyway! What is it about?"  
  
"It's very difficult though, are you sure you want it?"  
  
The girl nodded enthusiastically  
  
"It's about finding a cure for a virus..."  
  
___________________________________________________  
  
Ha! How's that for a cliffhanger?  
  
Ok, there are only a few chapters left to vote, I need to choose a couple soon! So please vote M/A or M/L and don't forget to review!!  
  
I hope you liked this chapter, I didn't really proofread it, I just wanted to get it up here!  
__________________________________________________________ 


	7. Nightmare

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
  
  
Nightmare  
  
  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
Max leaned the back of her head against the window and cradled her cup of steaming hot coffee.  
  
"Feeling better yet?" Alec asked her, he was sitting across from her.  
  
"Not yet but I'm getting there." Max rested her feet on the booth, cradling her knees with her free hand.  
  
Alec sighed and took her hand away from her legs.  
  
"Max, listen to me, Logan is not going to die if you two are careful! You've gotten too used to wearing gloves all the time. Just stay on your toes." He said.  
  
Max gripped his hand "I don't know why I keep doing this, every time we have an incident like this one I try to stay away for about two minutes before I seem to forget anything happened and I touch him again!"  
  
Alec took the cup of coffee away from her and took her other hand in his "Well there's no way you can stay away from him now, you live with him! I have a theory, do you want to hear it?"  
  
Max rolled her eyes but nodded   
  
"I think the virus only works with prolonged exposure."  
  
"Come again?"  
  
Alec released one of her hands and took a sip of his cappuccino "You've brushed against him what, twice? Without counting the kissing incident with her niece."  
  
Max nodded again "So?"  
  
"So nothing happened! I think you have to actually grab him for him to get sick. I mean, you still can't hold his hand or have hot kinky sex with him... wait, kinky might work with the right tools..."  
  
Max slapped his arm and he flinched "Ok, ok, but at least you won't kill him over some homework!"  
  
Max laughed and slapped his arm again from across the table "We're not even like that and you know it!"  
  
Alec rubbed his arm and smiled "Yeah, what ever."  
  
They where quiet for a moment, just sitting comfortably and drinking their coffees. Max heard the music then, Vivaldy. She realized that she hadn't even noticed until then.  
  
"You know, I think I'm getting used to the classical shit that they make us listen to all day." She told Alec.  
  
He frowned "I don't even hear it any more."  
  
He glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath "Shit Max, we're late for class."  
  
He stood up but Max's hand on his arm stopped him "Don't go... not yet. I'm not ready to go back."  
  
Alec sighed "Max..."  
  
"Please?"  
  
He looked down at her, she looked lost, like a little child and he realized that she was not ok at all, not yet.  
  
He dropped his bag and sat down next to her. He rested his arm on the couch behind her and she leaned against his chest, seeking comfort.  
  
Neither one of them noticed the boy standing by the window, staring at them.  
  
*************  
  
The day went by quickly and before Max had time to think about anything she was standing on the front steps surrounded by every single elite girl.  
  
"Ok girls, ready for some shopping?"  
  
They all seemed so exited it was a little hard for Max to feel too nervous. They chatted all the way to the parking lot, then they climbed into Dak's red convertible and they chatted all the way to the mall. They where talking like normal teenagers, about boys and clothes and music. Max felt so... normal.  
  
Until they got to the mall that is. The girls went straight to the lingerie department.  
  
Nikki and Melissa rummaged around the stockings section while Ashley and Amanda looked through the thongs. Steph was looking at bras and wanted Max to join her but Dakareth pulled her away, towards the teddies.  
  
She showed a red one to Max, it had straps and buttons all over and some weird fabric hanging from the sides. Melissa joined them and lifted the garment on the air "Hey, this is nice!"  
  
On closer inspection Max realized that it was crotchless and the top part was totally transparent.  
  
"No way! I'm NOT wearing that! Way too tacky" She shrieked. The rest of the girls joined them and started picking teddies for her.  
  
Amanda and Ashley showed her one that looked like a purple bathing suit, except for the fact that it was totally transparent and held together by very tiny chains all the way from the chest to the crotch. "Yeah, right!" She snorted.  
  
"What? MJ I'm sure it looks better on!"  
  
"On what? On fire?!"  
  
"Fine, fine, how about this?"  
  
Dak handed her a little black thing, it was sort of a transparent corset with a black strapless silk bra and black silk bikini panties underneath. Melissa tossed her a pair of black stockings and a garter belt.  
  
Max looked at the clothes with interest.  
  
"Go try it on!" Nikki encouraged her. The rest of the girls agreed with her and Max went to change.  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror, the outfit was really pretty, like something you would wear for your wedding night and se felt sorry to have to waste it on a strip club.  
  
"Ok girls, this is it!" She yelled at them while she changed. The girls squealed in excitement and gave each other high fives.  
  
*************  
  
Dak dropped Max off first. They all wanted to go in and look at her room but she told them that she didn't know if Alec was going to be there and she didn't want to disturb him so the girls left but not before Max swore they would have a sleepover sometime soon.  
  
She let herself in and looked around but Alec was nowhere to be found. She walked up the stairs, kicking her shoes off in the process.  
  
"Logan, you home?"  
  
"In the living room!" Logan yelled.  
  
Max hesitated before going to him, she was still a little upset and scared but she remembered Alec's words and sighed, he was right, she couldn't avoid Logan now that they where living together.  
  
She walked in and found Logan reading on the loveseat.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?"  
  
"Preparing my class for tomorrow."  
  
Max yawned and laid down on the big couch. "Will you read to me?"  
  
"You want to know about Egypt?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Max laid on her side and rested her head on her arms.  
  
"Ok, Five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom was a highly advanced civilization where the kings, known as pharaohs, were believed to be gods..."  
  
Max closed her eyes and allowed Logan's deep voice to help her fall into a deep sleep.  
  
*************  
  
Alec ran into his room "Max!! Max you're not going to..." He stopped when he realized she wasn't there.  
  
"Max?" He looked in the bathroom but she wasn't there either.  
  
Logan was still reading out loud when Alec barged into the living room.  
  
"Shh" Logan silenced him and pointed to the couch where Max was resting.  
  
"She's asleep?" Alec stared at her incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, she fell asleep almost an hour ago, where have you been?" Logan whispered.  
  
"I got myself a new hot ride and wanted her to see it. She'll love it!"  
  
Logan shrugged "I'm sure she'll be up soon."  
  
Alec frowned "Did she say why she wanted to sleep? Is she sick?"  
  
"I don't think so, she asked me to read for her. I was preparing my class and she just dozed off."  
  
Alec was still frowning, he walked to her side and rested his hand on her forehead. "It doesn't make any sense." he whispered to himself.  
  
"What doesn't?" Logan asked him.  
  
"Her temperature is normal... well normal for us, so she's probably not sick."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Logan she has shark DNA, she doesn't need the sleep plus she had plenty last night." Alec whispered urgently.  
  
"I know that but can't she just sleep for the pleasure of it?"  
  
"She hates sleeping, she says it's a waste of time. Plus she's a very light sleeper yet we have been talking around her and she's still out!"  
  
"How do you know she's a light sleeper?" Logan asked.  
  
"We all are, some more than others. Plus I've been sleeping in her room for the past week, I know what I'm talking about." Alec answered and grabbed Max's wrist.  
  
Logan left out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Her pulse is normal. Max, wake up Maxie!" Alec shook her gently, clearly scared.  
  
"Alec fuck off!" Max grumbled and turned away from him.  
  
Both men released the air they had been holding.  
  
"Max, please look at me" Alec tried to turn her over.  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
"I just want to be sure that you're all right."  
  
"You're the one who's going to be all wrong if you don't leave me alone!"  
  
"MAX!"  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Alec lowered his voice once he had her attention. "Why did you fall asleep?"  
  
"I wanted to count sheep."  
  
"Come on Max!"  
  
"I was tired ok?" Max stood up and marched to the kitchen.  
  
"In the middle of the afternoon?!" Alec followed her and watched as she lined out the ingredients for a sandwich.  
  
"What can I say? High school students DO have it hard."  
  
Alec sat on a stool and laid his head on his arms. Max handed him a sandwich and he thankfully accepted it. He yawned before taking a big bite from it.  
  
"See? You're tired too!" Max snapped.  
  
"Yeah but I'm not the one with shark DNA!"  
  
"He's right Max." Logan agreed.  
  
Max sighed and slid a sandwich in his direction. She worried briefly about the virus but decided that Alec was probably right and skin to skin contact was needed to pass on the damn thing. Still she held her breath until Logan took a bite and continued to look normal.  
  
"Who's side are you on anyway?"  
  
Logan swallowed before speaking "What I don't understand is why I'm not tired. I've been doing just as much as you two have and yet I can't seem to fall asleep."  
  
Everyone was quiet while they finished their snacks.  
  
"Oh! I forgot!" Alec jumped up suddenly, startling Max and Logan.  
  
"What?" Max asked him.  
  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the basement.  
  
"Alec? What?" Max ran after him with Logan in tow.  
  
Alec stopped at the door and stood behind her "Close your eyes."  
  
"Alec..."  
  
"Come on, it'll be worth it I promise." He covered her eyes with his hands and motioned with his head for Logan to open the door. He did and stepped outside.  
  
"Watch your step Max, ok, open your eyes!"  
  
Max opened her eyes slowly and gasped "Alec she's beautiful!"  
  
Alec stood proudly besides the black convertible BMW that he and Max had seen the night before.  
  
"Head's up!" He told her and tossed something in the air. She caught it on instinct and took a second to realize what it was.  
  
She held the key up and frowned at him.  
  
Alec held up another key and smiled at her "I figure we needed a car so I just went ahead and bought one for us, I hope you don't mind..."  
  
He was a little surprised when Max hugged him but he hugged her back and then lifted her on the air and set her down inside the car on the soft leather seat.  
  
Logan watched them from a small distance and smiled, he knew how much Max missed her baby and was glad to know that Alec was willing to share with her even if it did bother him a little the way Alec hugged her and lifted her.  
  
"Go on, take her for a ride!" Alec encouraged Max.  
  
She ran her hands over the steering wheel in awe and grinned at him. "Hop in!"  
  
Alec didn't need to be told twice, he jumped into the passenger's seat in a flash.  
  
"Logan, buddy, wanna join us?" He asked the older man.  
  
Logan shook his head "I can't, we have to be careful but you two have fun!"  
  
Max smiled at him sadly, upset that it had to be that way. She waved at him and drove off.  
  
*************  
  
Max felt so free with the wind on her hair, going at amazing speed through the deserted highway. Alec turned on some music and relaxed while Max enjoyed her ride. They drove and drove until they where too hungry to go on without food and too far to keep going and make it home before midnight.  
  
Max pulled up at a McDonalds and her and Alec jumped out of the car and almost raced to the restaurant.  
  
"We'll have two Big Macs with large fries and coke, two cheesecakes, two apple pies and two sundaes." Alec told the lady behind the counter.  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow and glanced at Max and then at him and back at Max "Anything else?" She asked, almost sarcastically.  
  
"Alec I want nuggets." Max tugged on his sleeve like a child and smiled when he gave her an annoyed look.  
  
"Fine, and two orders of nuggets." He told the girl.  
  
"Six nuggets or nine?" The impressed girl asked them.  
  
"Nine" They said at the same time.  
  
The girl was really shocked but went to get them their food.  
  
"I'm incredibly hungry." Max groaned.  
  
"I know, me too. Feel this!" Alec took Max's hand in his and placed it over his stomach. She felt and heard his stomach growl. She laughed at the sensation.  
  
The girl handed them two huge bags and Alec paid and thanked her, then he and Max walked over to a table and sat down, much to the girl's amazement.  
  
Max bit down on her hamburger and smiled "Mmm, this tastes like heaven!" She told Alec and took another bite.  
  
Alec nodded and neither one of them spoke again until the hamburgers and nuggets where all done and they had moved on to the sundaes.  
  
Max sat back on her seat and took a spoonful of her chocolate treat. "When did you get the car?"  
  
"This afternoon. I walked Kat home and just happened to walk by our baby again, I couldn't help myself."  
  
Max laughed "What did Kat say when you plastered yourself against the window and drooled all over that beauty?"  
  
"I did not drool! I just ran in and bought her." Alec smiled "And I had a copy of the key done for you... I had to tell Kat that I like to keep extra copies of everything just in case."  
  
Max laughed again and took one of his fries "I went shopping today."  
  
Alec knew what she was talking about so he just nodded "Was it bad?"  
  
"The outfit is actually cute... it's just that I really don't want to strip tomorrow."  
  
Alec nodded "And I really really really don't want to sleep with Kat but it has to be done Max, you know that"  
  
"I know." Max stared at her hands and sighed.  
  
Alec grabbed the rest of their food and took Max's hand "Come on, let's go home. Logan must be waiting for us anyway."  
  
Max nodded and followed Alec to the car. The ride back was quiet and seemed short. Once they got home Max went upstairs to say goodnight to Logan.  
  
He was sitting in front of his computer, deep in thought.  
  
"Hey, I just wanted to let you know we got home ok." Max told him.  
  
"Great, did you two have fun?"  
  
"Yeah... what are you working on?"  
  
Logan turned around to face her "The surveillance cameras, I still can't crack the security system."  
  
Max nodded "Well, I'm going to bed."  
  
"Good night." Logan smiled kindly at her, his eyes where shining with love and concern for her, she was really sleeping too much but he didn't say anything.  
  
"Night." Max smiled back and went to bed.  
  
*************  
  
Max's scream was deafening, she was sweating and sobbing and screaming "NO! NO! NO!" Alec was trying to shake her awake gently but she wasn't responding.  
  
Logan thundered down the stairs and frowned when he saw Max "What's going on?"  
  
"She's having a nightmare and I can't wake her up!" Alec yelled at him over Max's screams.  
  
"Maxie, sweetie, come on, it's ok! You're safe! No one is going to hurt you while I'm here." Alec whispered softly in Max's ear.  
  
She continued to moan and cry but she didn't scream. Alec held her tightly to his chest and realized that her nightshirt was soaked in sweat.  
  
"Come on Max, please wake up!" He stroked her hair while Logan sat at the foot of the bed and watched them.  
  
"Alec maybe if you..."  
  
"Wait! Don't come any closer! Her sheets are soaked in sweat." Alec warned Logan who staid back.  
  
"Rock her. Sit her on your lap, rock her gently and stroke her forehead. I think that will work." Logan instructed Alec who did just that.  
  
Max stopped moving and her breathing became even again.   
  
"Maxie? Wake up please." Alec whispered in her ear.  
  
Max sat up straight and glanced around the room. The first thing she saw was Alec holding her close. She acted on instinct and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.  
  
Alec was very surprised by this but he took her in his arms and rubbed her back gently.  
  
Max pulled away from him after a few seconds and dried her tears with the back of her hand. She saw Logan sitting at the foot of her bed and sighed "Was I that loud?" She asked.  
  
Both men nodded.  
  
Max tried to stand up but her legs gave out under her.  
  
Alec ran to her and caught her before she hit the floor "Max, are you ok?"   
  
She nodded "I'm fine I just need to..." She stood up again and ran to the bathroom. Alec glanced at Logan when they heard her throwing up.  
  
Logan sighed "Go to her, find out what's wrong with her and help her through it." He told Alec.  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "Are you sure? I don't want you to think..."  
  
"I'm sure! I sure as hell can't do it and she needs some help."  
  
Alec nodded, he would have gone to her even if Logan was against it anyway.  
  
He opened the door to the bathroom and found Max brushing her teeth furiously, he could see that some blood was already coming from her gums but Max didn't stop, she didn't even realize he was there until he took the toothbrush away from her.  
  
"Rinse your mouth." He told her and she did.  
  
"Ok, what happened?"  
  
"I had a nightmare." Max stated the obvious.  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
"No, I can handle it." Max tried to get past him but he took her in his arms and sat her down on the edge of the tub.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"That's not good enough Max, your nightmares are getting worse and I want to know what they are about."  
  
Max closed her eyes "Fine, but you have to tell me about yours first."  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "I don't have nightmares."  
  
"Right, that's why your chest is glistening with sweat and the silk of your boxers is clinging to your skin." Max sat down on the floor and leaned her back against the tub.  
  
Alec sighed and sat down next to her "I was not the one screaming my guts out just a few minutes ago Max."  
  
Max crossed her arms "Well I won't talk unless you do."  
  
Alec sighed again "Fine. I'll talk. I just... I don't know where to..."  
  
He closed his eyes and Max could almost feel the tension on his body. She moved closer to him and placed a hand on his arm.  
  
Alec looked up and realized that they where sitting next to each other on the bathroom floor with the lights out since they didn't need them.  
  
"Are yours about reindocrination?" Max asked him slowly.  
  
"Some of them... most of the time they are about... other stuff."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Just stuff..."  
  
"Alec..."  
  
"Rachel" Alec said simply.  
  
Max nodded "Are they bad?"  
  
Alec nodded   
  
"Tell me."  
  
"No Max."  
  
"If you don't talk then I don't talk remember?"  
  
"Max," Alec glanced at her, his eyes were moist "you really don't want to know."  
  
"I do want to know Alec! I care about you and I want to know what's bothering you!"  
  
Alec was quiet for a moment "You care about me?"  
  
"Of course I do you idiot! I wouldn't have saved your ass all of those times if I didn't!"  
  
"Max you save everyone's ass." He told her.  
  
"Well yeah but yours is special!"  
  
"Is that right?" Alec gave her a cocky grin and Max slapped his arm.  
  
"Come on Alec, don't change the subject and tell me about your dreams."  
  
Alec took a deep breath "No Max, I already told you they are about Rachel and that's all you're getting from me."  
  
"Ok, then I won't talk." Max stood up and was just about to walk away when Alec grabbed her hand and sat her back down.  
  
"You want to know what goes on in my nightmares? Fine! Basically Rachel just looks at me and tells me that she hates me, that I killed her, that it's all my fault, that I'm a freak, a monster, a killer, a beast, that I have no soul, that she never loved me, that no one ever will..."  
  
A tear rolled down Alec's cheek, he brushed it off furiously and stared down at his hands.  
  
Max sat there in shock, she was not expecting such an outburst from him and for a moment she didn't know what to do.  
  
She snapped out of it and reached out for him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close to her. He hesitated before hugging her back, allowing another tear to escape. It fell on Max's back and she held him tighter.  
  
Alec pulled away from her after what seemed like two seconds. Max could tell he was in soldier mode by the way his eyes reflected no emotion at all.  
  
"Tell me about your dream." He told her simply.  
  
Max took a deep breath "They all start the same, I hear Renfro's voice telling me how everything my fault, she tells me that I'm poison and that I kill everyone I love, that all the dead transgenics died because of me. Then I start getting this flashes of Jack, Eva, Tinga... then Zack. He is just standing there, his head covered in blood and he tells me how he had to kill himself because he was my CO, he tells me that if I hadn't been so careless he would still be alive. And then there's Ben..."  
  
Alec sighed and wrapped his arms around her, she rested her forehead on his chest and sniffed "I just keep watching myself killing him... I can see over and over again how I snapped his neck, how I held his dead body in my arms... I killed my brother Alec! I loved him and I killed him with my bare hands!"  
  
Max sobbed into his chest and he pulled her closer to him, seating her between his spread legs.  
  
"But that's not it, I hear Ben's voice while I'm snapping his neck, he's telling me not to do it, not to kill him just to hide him somewhere until Lydecker's man are gone and I can go back for him but I still kill him. He's begging me not to do it but I snap his neck! Alec I killed my brother!" Max sobbed harder, she started shaking and Alec had to rock her for her to calm down.  
  
He stroked her hair and kissed her temple "It's ok Max, it was just a nightmare. Everything is going to be ok."  
  
"No it's not. No matter what I do it won't bring my brothers and sisters back."  
  
"Oh Max, none of it was your fault! Zack killed himself because he loved you too much to live without you! Ben asked you to kill him because he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was killing other people Max I don't think he was a very happy guy."  
  
Max shook her head "I still shouldn't have killed him."  
  
"You had to, it was better than reindocrination. Trust me."  
  
Max leaned back against his chest, her silent tears still rolling down her cheeks "I can't help the way my heart feels."  
  
Alec tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head "I know Max, I know."  
  
They staid in the bathroom for the rest of the night, holding on to each other for comfort.  
  
*************  
  
Alec was walking down the hall with his backpack on his shoulder and looking dead tired. The bathroom floor was not exactly comfortable even if Max's weight on his chest was. He had been up all night stroking her hair and having whispered conversations about their 'past lives'. He glanced at his watch and sighed, at least he still had some time before he had to get changed for gym. He thought about going to find Max and check on her.  
  
"Alec! Hey!" Dak caught up with him right next to the small Recycling Room.   
  
"Hey Dak... hump!" Dakareth opened the door to the tiny room with one hand and pushed him in with the other one.  
  
"Dak?"  
  
"Hey Alec, I just wanted to ask, how are things going with Kat?" Dak crooked her head slightly to the right and seemed truly concerned for him.  
  
Alec wondered how she could sound so caring and still ask him a question that he would hate to answer. He really didn't want to do the whole initiation thing with Kat, it brought up memories of his valentine missions back at Manticore, missions that he would rather forget.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"I'm sorry, what?"  
  
"I asked, how are things going with Kat? Do you think you will be able to get her tonight?"  
  
Alec nodded "Sure, no problem."  
  
"Good. Now come on, let's get to class." Dak opened the door and walked out, not waiting for him to catch up.  
  
"Alec my man! What where you two doing in that closet?" Luke patted him on the back.  
  
"Uh?" Alec asked, obviously out of it.  
  
"You and Dak, what are you up to?" Iker asked him.  
  
"Nothing, she just wanted to ask me how things where going with the thing tonight." Alec lowered his voice.  
  
Luke snorted "Yeah right, well anyway we better hurry or we're going to be late for class."  
  
Alec sighed and nodded, he walked beside the two guys, dragging his feet.  
  
"Alec, are you ok man?" Luke asked him.  
  
"I'm fine" Alec answered but the truth was he was too tired to move, let alone fight so he took a deep breath and stopped Iker with his arm.  
  
Iker glanced at him and Alec whispered "Hey, do you have any more of that caffeine shit?"  
  
Iker smiled and reached for his backpack.  
  
*************  
  
Max was changing in the locker room when Amanda walked up to her and handed her a cup of coffee.  
  
"You look like you had a rough night." She told Max, twisting a strand of her blonde hair with her fingers.  
  
"I was up studying biology. I need to catch up with you guys." Max answered simply and gulped down the coffee.  
  
"Yeah well don't overdo yourself. Hey, we're meeting this afternoon at five to give you guys the equipment you'll need for tonight. Tell Alec ok?"  
  
Max sighed "Sure." She finished her coffee and walked calmly to the gym, slightly more alert.  
  
*************  
  
The rest of the day passed in a blur and before Max got a chance to mentally prepare for what she was doing that night she was on the car with Alec, parked right outside the woods.  
  
Alec took a deep breath and turned around to face her. "We're going to get through this ok?"  
  
Max nodded and took his hand "What did you tell Kat?"  
  
"That I would meet her at six, go for a walk and dinner afterwards."  
  
Max nodded "Let's just get this over with."  
  
They walked through the woods in silence. Once they got to where the group gathered they realized that everyone was waiting for them.  
  
They handed them their equipment. A digital camera for Alec, in case he couldn't copy the files and a small camera for Max to place discretely at the strip club.  
  
"Ok you two, this has to be precise. If you two get caught we will not take responsibility, you'll be on your own. Alec we need you to come back here after you're... done. Max you can go straight home and we'll see you tomorrow at our lunch table... if your mission is successful that is." Dak smiled sweetly at them and sent them on their way.  
  
Alec dropped Max at home for her to get ready. She stuffed her outfit on a bag and changed into jeans and a tiny shirt that clung to her body like a second skin.  
  
Logan walked downstairs slowly, looking at her while she applied some light makeup to her eyes.  
  
"Max, are you sure you want to do this?" Logan asked her, sitting down on the steps.  
  
"No Logan, but there's just no other way."  
  
Logan sighed "I know." He said simply.  
  
Max finished with her makeup and went to sit next to Logan on the steps. She didn't say anything, she just sat there.  
  
Logan wished he could reach out and hold her. He wanted to comfort her the way Alec had the night before but he knew it was impossible, at least at that moment.   
  
He had talked to the girl from the lab that morning, her name was Sasha, she told him she needed a piece of Max's DNA so Logan hand taken Max's hairbrush and carefully placed some hairs on a plastic bag which he hand later handed to Sasha.  
  
"It's getting late, I should probably go." Max stood up and Logan nodded.  
  
"Good luck, I'll be home when you get back."  
  
Max nodded weakly and left.  
  
*************  
  
Alec arrived at Kat's at six fifteen. He took her for a walk around the campus and later took her for an early dinner at a restaurant nearby.  
  
Alec ordered a pizza for the two of them and they ate in silence for a while until the food was all gone and they had to talk about something.  
  
"You know Kat, you look beautiful tonight." Alec smiled at her and she blushed.  
  
"Thanks, you look really great too."  
  
Alec brushed the compliment off and took her hands in his. "I was amazed when you agreed to go out with me. I honestly didn't think you would say yes. I didn't think I could get so lucky."  
  
Kat giggled and patted his hand "I didn't think you where being honest, I mean... you're elite!"  
  
Alec smiled "I've also been told I've got great taste."  
  
Kat giggled again and blushed a little.  
  
They spent the rest of the evening talking about everything and nothing at all. They talked about music and books for a while until they ran out of things to say so they left the restaurant.  
  
Alec walked Kat home, she opened the door to her room and smiled at him seductively "My roommate is staying over at a friends house, wanna come in for a while?"  
  
Alec smiled and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
*************  
  
Max glanced around the club until she spotted the owner. She walked over to him and smiled sexily "Hey, I'm looking for a job and this seems like a nice place to work. Do you think you might have an opening for me?"  
  
The owner hadn't looked up form the papers he was reading and was just about to say no when he glanced up and was unable to resist Max.  
  
"Sure thing baby doll! What's your name?"  
  
"Nidia." Max told him quickly.  
  
"Ok Nidia... are you legal?"  
  
Max giggled "Yes"  
  
The guy didn't ask for an ID "Ok then, You can just go backstage and get ready. We open at eight, you do know how to dance don't you?"  
  
Max giggled "Of course I do silly!"  
  
The owner raised his eyebrows and tried hard not to drool. "Ok then, we'll see what you can do."  
  
Max smiled at him and walked away swaying her hips.  
  
When she was sure no one was looking she stuck the camera on one of the walls, pointing it at the catwalk so that it could record the people sitting around the stage as well as the girls dancing.  
  
Then she went backstage and changed into her outfit. She saw some other girls there, most of them older than her, there was only one young girl that seemed about her age.  
  
The other girls greeted her warmly while they got ready.  
  
After what seemed like only seconds for Max the owner showed up and told them they where about to open.  
  
"Ok, I want the first ones on stage to be..." He glanced around the room, his eyes staring appreciatively at Max "You, you, you and... you Nidia."  
  
Max took a deep breath and tried to calm down her breathing.  
  
  
___________________________________________________  
  
I'm sorry this took so long! I'll try to write faster! I promise!  
  
Ok, so this story takes place after Hello Goodbye but Logan never saw Alec leaving the building ok? good.  
  
I would suggest you get the song Supernatural by Sugababes, I'm going to use it on the next chapter ;)  
  
The voting thing is almost over, I swear. The next chapter will be the last one where you guys get to vote. I'm making a decision after that.  
  
I hope you liked this chapter, I didn't really proofread it, I just wanted to get it up here!  
  
Don't forget to review.  
  
Oh and one more thing! I've watched the show since the beginning, I've seen most episodes about five times or something so I kind of know a lot about what the transgenics do and don't do so if you find a mistake of sorts (like them sleeping too much) it's probably on purpose but please don't hesitate to tell me if you find anything that doesn't quite fit just in case I am missing something ;) thanks!!  
__________________________________________________________ 


	8. Trouble

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Trouble  
  
  
  
*To Crash for boosting my confidence, my ego and my libido ;) Thanks honey!*  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
Logan was sitting in front of his computer, typing furiously.  
  
He was getting nowhere with the school surveillance equipment, it was too well guarded.  
  
Suddenly, inspiration struck him. He remembered Max saying something about the elite having access to everything so he tried to hack into their computers instead.  
  
"Bingo!" He sat back to admire his work and his eyes widened.  
  
He had hacked into the strip club's camera.  
  
*************  
  
Alec walked back to the elite's headquarters. He hated himself for doing what he did to that girl but he hated himself even more for what he would have to do tomorrow.  
  
He entered the cottage next to the mansion and found everyone staring at the computer screen.  
  
Alec cleared his throat and the bunch of kids turned around to look at him.  
  
"Alec! What happened?" Dak asked him.  
  
Alec tossed her a disk and smirked "Nothing, I hope that's everything you wanted to know."  
  
The twelve teenagers stared at the disk "How did you manage to get the information so fast?" Iker asked him.  
  
"A perfect quickie and no pillow talk." Alec shrugged.  
  
"Hey guys, there she is!" Dave pointed at the screen.  
  
Alec frowned, he squeezed himself between Iker and Luke to see what the big fuss was all about.  
  
He looked at the screen just in time to see Max walking out of a back room and making her way to the catwalk.  
  
'Oh God' Alec thought to himself.  
  
*************  
  
*-Sugababes - Supernatural-*  
  
  
Max closed her eyes when she heard the music start. She looked down at herself, she looked pretty great.  
  
"Hey girl! Come on, you're up!" A guy called to her and Max sighed.  
  
She walked out of the back room and climbed the steps that led to the stage, she made her way on to the catwalk and froze.  
  
The place was packed, hundreds of guys stared at her and whistled, urging her on.  
  
Max closed her eyes and took a deep breath before moving to the music. The funky beat was easy to dance to so she just swayed her hips and ran her hands over her body.  
  
One of the other dancers approached her. "Let loose girl! You might actually have a good time! Come on, grab a tube!"  
  
Max frowned at the girl, she looked really young. Max looked around for a tube and found one at the end of the catwalk. She moved to it and gripped it with both hands.  
  
She could hear the men around her, screaming and shouting. She closed her eyes and blocked them out, concentrating on the music and what she could do with the tube.  
  
She spreader her legs open, straddling the tube, and crouched down. She stood back up pressing her body against the cool metal.  
  
Max looked at the other girls, they where doing some pretty funky stuff. She jumped up and wrapped her ankles on the tube, sliding to the ground once again and provoking even more whistles from her audience.  
  
She continued to move around the tube, shaking her body sexily in time with the music and running her hands over her body.  
  
She looked around once again and saw that the other girls had already taken their tops off and where currently working on their panties.  
  
"Take it off sugar!" One of the men close to her yelled.  
  
"Yeah, let us see you!" Another one followed.  
  
Max took a deep breath and unhooked her bra.  
  
*************  
  
Alec's eyes widened when he saw Max taking her top off. He looked away from the screen, feeling as if he was intruding in some way.  
  
Trying to keep his eyes away from the image he looked around the room and was rather disturbed by what he found.  
  
The six other guys where staring at the screen but their eyes didn't hold the desire that Alec had been expecting. Instead they seemed to be analyzing the situation.  
  
"She has a good technique" Iker whispered to Sean.  
  
"It's hard to believe she hadn't done this before" Luke said.  
  
"No, she's a natural. Her movements look fresh, not rehearsed." Leo noticed. Dave and Dade nodded.  
  
"Well if she's improvising then she's good enough for us." Nikki said.  
  
The rest of the elite nodded.  
  
Dak turned away from the screen "Congratulations Alec, the first part of your initiation is over. Tell MJ to be ready for Saturday."   
  
*************  
  
Max felt sick to her stomach as she walked through the door. She could still hear the men laughing and yelling in the back of her mind.  
  
It had been a horrible experience and she was glad it was over. Now all she wanted was a scalding hot shower and her bed.  
  
She walked into the bathroom, tossing her shirt behind her, and her breath got caught on her throat.  
  
The bathroom was illuminated by a bunch of aromatic candles, the bathtub was full of hot water and bubbles and a bathrobe had been laid out for her.  
  
"Oh Logan" She said softly.   
  
Max saw a note by the tub and reached for it. There was only one word written on it.  
  
"Relax" Max read out loud and smiled but her smile quickly turned into a frown as she realized it was not Logan's writing, it was Alec's.  
  
She shrugged and took off the rest of her clothes, sinking into the hot bath and closing her eyes.  
  
She must have fallen asleep at some point because by the time she opened her eyes again the water was lukewarm, she looked like a prune and the clothes that she had worn that night were gone.  
  
Max dried herself off and slipped on the bathrobe before leaving the bathroom.  
  
Her room was dark except for a few candles on her nightstand, next to the candles she found a tall glass of milk and some home made chocolate cookies that Logan had obviously left there for her. She wondered where the guys were but didn't dwell on it. Instead she ate her snack, changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.  
  
*************  
  
Alec leaned over Logan to read the data on the computer screen.  
  
"What is it?" Alec asked Logan with interest.  
  
"I have no idea" Logan frowned and leaned closer to the monitor.  
  
"Might be passwords."  
  
"God I hope not, it's going to take a looooong time to decode this." Logan pointed at the screen. Millions of random numbers covered every available space.  
  
"There is no apparent pattern." Alec mumbled and leaned even closer "I wonder what the elite wanted with this."  
  
Logan took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead "I'll work on this, why don't you get some rest?"  
  
Alec was bone tired and didn't need to be told twice.  
  
*************  
  
Max felt someone sitting at the foot of her bed. She opened her eyes slowly and found two yellow orbs staring at her.  
  
She gasped and jumped up "Alec! You scared the shit out of me!" Max blew out the small candle that was making Alec's eyes glow that way. Her night vision kicked in.  
  
"Why?" Alec frowned  
  
"Night vision and a small amount of light produce an eerie effect" Max shuddered and laid back down on the bed.  
  
Alec shifted uncomfortably "I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're ok."  
  
Max bit her lip "Alec, I'm fine. Sure I'm a little shaken but you should be feeling much worse than I am!"  
  
Alec shook his head "I was trained for this Max, I've used my sexuality as a weapon so many times I can't even remember them all."  
  
He was lying and Max knew it. With their photographic memory Alec should be able to recall every second of every horrible mission.  
  
"And besides, I didn't sleep with her."  
  
That took Max by surprise "What do you mean?"  
  
"I drugged her and took off her clothes. The hard part of the mission will come tomorrow when I'll have to tell her that I can't see her anymore."  
  
Max leaned forward and took Alec's hand in hers "It had to be done"  
  
"I know but... do you have any idea of how many people I've hurt by telling them that I don't care about them? That I never did?"  
  
Max gripped his hand tighter "You did that for their own good!"  
  
Alec snorted "Yeah right, I did that to save my own ass, to keep myself out of Psy Ops! Not one good thing came out of my lies Max."  
  
Max knew he was talking about Rachel but she had a feeling there was something else there.  
  
"Alec I..."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it Max. Just go back to sleep."  
  
Max nodded and laid back down on her bed. She watched him as he stripped down to his boxers and got into his own bed before closing her eyes.  
  
  
**************  
  
The moment Max opened her eyes she knew it was going to be a bad day. Why? She was lying on the floor, tangled on her bed sheets.  
  
"Max? Shit! Are you ok?!" Alec jumped out of his bed and ran to help her up. She shrugged his hand away and stood up.  
  
"I'm fine! I just had a weird dream that's all!" Max stood up with a groan.  
  
"You're hurt"  
  
"I'm not hurt! I told you I'm fine!" She walked to her closet and pulled out her uniform.  
  
"No you're not! You're limping!" Alec followed.  
  
"I'm not limping!"  
  
"What's going on? I heard a thump." Logan walked down the stairs.  
  
"You heard a thump? Where were you? Camping by our door?" Max snapped.  
  
"You fell out of bed didn't you?" Logan tried hard not to smile.  
  
Alec wasn't even trying. He was laughing hard.  
  
"Oh shut up!" Max punched Alec on the arm on her way to the bathroom.  
  
*************  
  
Max and Alec ran out of the house, locking the back door behind them. They where very surprised when they discovered it was pouring.  
  
"How come we didn't notice it was raining before?" Max wondered out loud.  
  
Alec shrugged, then he slapped his forehead with his hand and groaned.  
  
"What?" Max asked.  
  
"You do remember I just bought a convertible?" Alec glared at her.  
  
"Shit!" Max tried to run to the car and slipped on a puddle. She tried to regain her balance but the ground was slippery. Alec reached for her and tried to yank her up but instead ended up with his ass on the floor and Max on his lap, her arms elbow deep in mud.  
  
"Shit!" Max screamed.  
  
"Let's go inside and change quickly." Alec helped Max up and then accepted her hand.  
  
"I have no clean shirts" Max groaned.  
  
"Then wear a dirty one, It's got to be a hell of a lot cleaner than the one you're wearing." Alec pointed out.  
  
Max looked down at her formerly white shirt, it was not covered with mud.  
  
"I can't wear a dirty one! I washed them last night and they're still wet!"  
  
"Then wear a wet one!" Alec slammed his drawers open and looked for a clean pair of boxers.  
  
"I can't!" Max unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it aside.  
  
"Why the hell not?" Alec grabbed a clean pair of pants and scrambled out of his dirty ones.  
  
"Because it's white! It'll cling to my skin and wet white shirts become a little transparent..."  
  
Alec turned around to face her and smiled. He tossed her one of his shirts. "Then you better reconsider your choice of bra."  
  
Max looked down, she was wearing a lacy black bra. "What's wrong with my bra?"  
  
"Well it's still raining dogs and cats out there and you're still gonna get wet and Max, every straight male in that building already drools when you walk by. You don't need to give them something else to fantasize about!"  
  
Max threw her dirty shirt at him. He caught it before it hit him, then he rummaged around her underwear drawer and handed her a plain white bra.  
  
"Wear that, it's thick so you won't have a problem."  
  
Max scowled but grabbed his shirt and her bra and marched to the bathroom.  
  
When she came out wearing Alec's shirt, which looked quite big on her, he was clean and waiting for her.  
  
"Is Logan gone?"  
  
"Yeah, I just checked." Alec told her.  
  
"Damn, I was hoping for a ride."  
  
"Let's just go, we're very late as it is. Just wear a raincoat or something."  
  
"You have a raincoat?" Max asked him incredulously.  
  
"No, I was hoping you did." Alec shrugged. He grabbed a plastic bag from one of the kitchen drawers and split it in half.  
  
"Wrap this around your waist." He told Max.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because the car seat is going to be wet! Now let's go!"  
  
They ran out of the house again, this time a little bit more carefully.  
  
Alec jumped into the car, not bothering with the door and Max did the same. Her skirt got caught on the door and she stumbled inside.  
  
"Shit! I think I ripped something, there's a thread hanging out of my skirt! Oh we're late, we are soooo late!"  
  
"Yeah, well at least I parked the car under a tree! It's not as wet as I thought it would be." Alec started the car and drove quickly towards school.  
  
Max tried to use her teeth to cut the annoying thread but couldn't do it. She groaned in frustration.  
  
"Here, use the lighter."  
  
Alec fumbled around with the lighter. He didn't see the car going towards them but Max did.  
  
"Hey! Watch out!" Max reached for the steering wheel. Alec looked up and dropped the lighter on his lap. He yelped and jumped up.  
  
"Shit!" They avoided the other car by inches but their own car spun out of control. "Max let go of the steering wheel! And get the lighter away from me!" Alec screamed  
  
Max reached for the lighter while Alec tried to regain the control of the vehicle with little success.  
  
"Here!" Max held up the lighter.  
  
Alec saw the tree, he knew they were heading in that direction.  
  
He reached out and pushed Max against her seat holding her there with his arm and he slammed on the breaks.  
  
The tires screeched as the car inched towards the huge tree.  
  
Max closed her eyes and Alec gritted his teeth.  
  
The car stopped just millimeters from the tree.  
  
Max and Alec held their breaths, they staid still for a few moments.  
  
Alec closed his eyes and released the breath he had been holding  
  
And the airbags popped up out of nowhere.  
  
"Great, just fucking great!" Max's voice was muffled by the airbag.  
  
"At least the family jewels are still intact!" Alec struggled to get the bag away from his face.  
  
Max found a way to free her arm and slap his leg.  
  
***************  
  
They had arrived at the school ten minutes late.  
  
Max's first period had been hell, she had been really close to falling asleep and the teacher had noticed.  
  
As she walked down the hall she saw Alec walking towards her. She smiled, she needed a friendly face.  
  
"Alec? Hey!"  
  
His face lost some color and his eyes registered shock when he ran into Kat.  
  
"Shit" Max cursed under her breath.  
  
"Kat! Hi..."  
  
"I waved to you at the parking lot this morning. I guess you didn't see me." Kat patted her black hair and tugged at her shirt.  
  
Alec sighed "Look Kat..."  
  
Max saw Dakareth walking towards them. She stopped before reaching Alec and frowned but a moment later she smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist "Hey baby!" She said cheerfully.  
  
Alec was a little startled but hid it well. He glanced at Max who nodded, indicating him to play along with Dak.  
  
Kat backed away slowly "Oh..."  
  
"Kat I..."  
  
"No, don't say anything! You're elite, I'm just a hacker. I should have known better."  
  
"No Kat wait! I wasn't..."  
  
Dak placed a hand on his arm "Let her go."  
  
Alec nodded. He stood there and watched Kat run away.  
  
"Don't you dare tell the others about this. If they find out I helped you with your dare..."  
  
Dak didn't finish the sentence, she just left.  
  
Max approached Alec slowly "Are you alright?"  
  
Alec gave her a small smile "I'm always alright."  
  
*************  
  
"And what did he say?" Logan leaned closer to Max.  
  
"He said that he was alright, just like he always does." Max whispered.  
  
They where having a quick conversation during history class which was a little difficult since the classroom was so quiet.  
  
"And you let him walk away?"  
  
"What was I supposed to do? Follow him like a puppy?" Max raised her voice a little. A few heads turned in their direction.  
  
"Well MJ, you seem to be doing fine! Just remember what I told you." Logan said loudly.  
  
"Thanks Mr. Cale!" Max smiled at him and walked back to her seat.  
  
"He needs you" Logan mouthed  
  
Max sighed, she needed to have a little talk with Alec.  
  
**************  
  
Alec was walking down the hall, lost in his own thoughts when he felt a tug and was pulled into a small closet.  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
"Alec shut up!" Max locked the door behind him and turned around to face him.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
Alec rolled his eyes "You pulled me into the recycling room for this?"  
  
"Alec, I know it's bothering you and I don't want you to do something stupid!"  
  
He looked around "Hey Max, how come we hadn't searched this room? There might be something useful here."  
  
Max sighed "Like what?"  
  
Alec opened one of the drawers and reached inside "Like records" He pulled out a folder and showed it to Max.  
  
"Oh my god! Are they really this careless?" Max reached inside the drawer and searched for specific names.  
  
"They are not careless... this is well thought, hide in plain sight. We wouldn't have run into this thing if I hadn't been avoiding a conversation. It was pure luck."  
  
Max smiled "Oh don't worry, we can talk and read this stuff at the same time."  
  
"We can't talk about this right now." Alec moved towards the door.  
  
"We have to!"  
  
"No Max, we really can't talk about this right now. Someone's coming." He pressed his ear to the door.  
  
They both stared at the handle for a moment. It turned slowly.  
  
"Who locks this damn door?" They heard someone ask.  
  
Max turned to Alec with panicked eyes. They both tossed the files into the drawer and Max slammed it shut.  
  
The person at the other side of the door was searching for the key.  
  
Max locked her gaze with Alec and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
Alec pushed her away "No, we can't do that! If they think we're sleeping together they'll take you away!"  
  
"Then what can we do?" Max was starting to panic.  
  
"Hit me."  
  
"What?" Max raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Hit me, slap me!" Alec told her.  
  
"I'm not going to hit you!"  
  
The doorknob turned  
  
"Do it now!"  
  
Max took a deep breath and slapped Alec just as the door opened and Stuart Young, the guy who had picked them up at the airport, walked in.  
  
"Ouch!" Alec's hand flew to his face. "I think you broke my jaw!"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous! I don't want to see you again today! I'm sleeping over at Dak's. Don't you dare cross my path!" Max turned away from him, flipped her hair as she walked past Stuart.  
  
Alec was still rubbing his face. Any normal human being would be crying in pain right then.  
  
"Trouble at paradise?" Stuart asked.  
  
"Just hormones I think, it must be that time of the month." Alec smiled at Stuart and followed Max.  
  
**************  
  
Max frowned at the cafeteria food "This looks really disgusting." She told the girls.  
  
"No matter how much you pay for your education, hot lunches will always taste worse than they look and that's saying a lot" Nikki sniffed her food and made a face before pushing it away.  
  
Dakareth pushed it back towards her "You have to eat Nik, we have gym class today."  
  
Alec looked around and frowned "Where is Iker?"  
  
"Sick, stomach virus" Luke said between bites.  
  
"Oh" Alec looked down at his own food and took a deep breath before stuffing a spoonful into his mouth.  
  
Max didn't look at him when he spoke. Dak leaned towards her and whispered in her ear "So, do you want to crash at my place tonight?"  
  
Max raised an eyebrow "Why would I do that?"  
  
"I heard you had a little argument with Alec."  
  
Max's face snapped up "How did you find out about that?"  
  
Dak smiled "Remember what I told you MJ, we're elite. We know EVERYTHING."  
  
Max shivered a little. She turned back to her food and said "I think I need to work things out with him. I'll talk to him tonight."  
  
Dak shrugged "Fine."  
  
Max pretended to be really interested in her food when in fact she was trying to figure out who might have tipped Dakareth off.  
  
One thing was for sure, there was a lot going on in that school and they had to find out about it before things got out of hand.  
  
*************  
  
Logan knocked on the lab's door and walked inside. Sasha was making some notes.  
  
"Hey Mr. Cale!"  
  
"Hey Sasha, how is it going?"  
  
The young girl smiled "I know how to fix it! Just give me some time and I'll have that thing nailed!"  
  
Logan smiled "Sasha, I could kiss you!"  
  
She giggled "Go away so I can get to work! And don't talk like that. Someone could hear you and you'd loose your job."  
  
Logan frowned "Sasha, it's just an expression"  
  
Sasha nodded "I know but still... just go ok?"  
  
Logan shrugged and left.  
  
*************  
  
Later that night Max Alec and Logan were having a quick dinner and talking.  
  
"So the guys where staring at me while I stripped and they where just commenting on my technique? That's sick!" Max exclaimed.  
  
Alec and Logan raised their eyebrows but said nothing.  
  
"I still can't figure out those numbers. I'll work on it after dinner." Logan said.  
  
"You know, Dakareth knew about our little encounter in the recycling room Alec."  
  
Alec dropped his chop sticks "Who told her?"  
  
"I don't know" Max shrugged.  
  
Alec sighed "Something about that school just creeps me out."  
  
"You know, it's not that bad. I think it's a good school. The teachers are great and the students are really devoted. I can't see what the big fuss is about." Logan said between bites.  
  
Max and Alec stared at him, their mouths open.  
  
Logan blinked a few times "Did I just say that?"  
  
Max and Alec exchanged glances  
  
"Guys, we need a copy of whatever they play on those loudspeakers."  
  
"Why?" Max asked Logan  
  
"I think they are brainwashing us."  
  
*************  
  
"I can't believe he couldn't hack the stupid computer." Max shook her head.  
  
"Max, if the stupid computer is not connected to anything but a plug how can he hack into it?" Alec walked carefully around the corner.  
  
"Where do you think that thing is?" Max followed him, not making any noise as they walked.  
  
"I'm not sure but I have a pretty good idea." Alec pointed at a locked office.  
  
"It has an alarm system, that's unusual" Alec took a couple of minutes to disable the alarm and then walked inside, careful not to set off any kind of silent alarm.  
  
Max looked around "Is that it?" She pointed at a laptop on a desk."  
  
"Maybe." Alec got to work on it. He found the file they where looking for and downloaded it quickly.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Someone's coming." Max whispered.  
  
Alec listened hard, he heard the footsteps.  
  
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath.  
  
"Can we go?"  
  
"No, I'm not done yet." Alec cursed again.  
  
The footsteps got closer and Max looked around nervously.  
  
"Alec hurry!"  
  
"There's nothing I can do!"  
  
Max herd the beeping of someone disabling the alarm  
  
"Done!" Alec snatched the disk and closed the laptop.  
  
The door opened slowly.  
  
The principal walked in. He went over to a file cabinet and took some records. He was walking to the door but stopped suddenly. He looked around and shrugged before leaving.  
  
Once he was gone Max and Alec dropped from the ceiling silently  
  
"That was close." Alec whispered.  
  
"This has not been a good day. Can we just go home?" Max grabbed the disk from Alec and headed out.  
  
*************  
  
"I don't hear anything." Max informed them.  
  
"Me neither, Logan are you sure it's the music?" Alec leaned back on the couch.  
  
"I can't think of anything else." Logan rubbed his temple. "Hold on, maybe if we..."  
  
He worked on the computer quickly, the music was played again, slowly.  
  
Max frowned "It sounds like shit but I still can't hear anything..."  
  
"Shh..." Alec sat up quickly and closed his eyes.  
  
Max and Logan stared at him.  
  
"Logan, can you play that backwards and a little bit slower."  
  
"Sure" Logan typed away and then hit play.  
  
A strong manly voice could be heard clearly.  
  
MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
So HA! Did you like the cliffhanger?? This story is going to get very interesting later on, I promise.  
  
Ok people, last chapter to vote!!! Would you like me to tell you who won on the next chapter or would you rather wait to find out for yourself?  
  
And I know the stripping scene sucked but I did my best ;)  
  
I hope you liked this chapter, I didn't really proofread it, I just wanted to get it up here!  
_______________________________________________ 


	9. Dares

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
  
  
Chapter 9  
  
PREVIOUSLY ON HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS  
  
*** "There is a problem. One of my sources called and said that his sister's daughter was thrown out of school for no apparent reason. The school is run by Manticore people."  
  
"So, what do we do?" Alec asked.  
  
"We go in, undercover. Figure out how are they doing it and stop them from doing it again" Logan proposed.  
  
*** "About the two new students, we have no available rooms sir." Stuart said.  
  
Mr. Smith stood up "What about apartments?"  
  
"Noting within a ten miles radius."  
  
"They can stay with me!" Logan offered.  
  
*** "Maxine Jane Bewer? Alecsander Cage? This way please! I'm Stuart Young, everyone calls me Stuart. I work at the school"  
  
"Doing what?" Alec asked him.  
  
"Oh lots of stuff, I'm everywhere you know?"  
  
*** Alec could hear a small sound coming from somewhere in the room, he looked around, using his enhanced view, until he discovered a hidden camera on a corner of the room on top of a shelve and a bug on the light fixture.  
  
Max shoveled the napkin in Logan's direction. It said, "Might be watching and listening."  
  
***  
  
"MJ?" Max asked Alec.  
  
"It was all I could come up with so suddenly. Besides, I like it."  
  
Max considered it "I sort of like it too but why not just Max?"  
  
Alec shrugged, "what if they know about your name?"  
  
Max nodded, it seemed reasonable.  
  
*** "I take it you're the new student?" The lab teacher asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm MJ."  
  
"Ok MJ, my name is Alfred Russell.  
  
*** Alec smiled, that girl was definitely one of the 'popular ones' he was supposed to interact with. She had been playing with her blonde hair and looking at her reflection on a small mirror for the whole class.  
  
"Nikki, could you please hand this sheets out?" The math teacher asked the self centered blonde.  
  
"Sure Mr. Watson"  
  
*** "I'm Luke."  
  
"MJ" Max shook his hand.  
  
"Pleasure. Now, let's see... what's your next class?"  
  
"Lit. With Mr. Meisher." Max told him.  
  
*** Max closed the orange door and stared at the girl. "How do you know so much about us? I didn't even tell you my locker number!"  
  
Dakareth laughed "I, like every other person in this school by this time,know your name, address, locker number and schedule. The only thing left to find out is the amount of zeros on you account... give the hackers some time, we'll have it by tomorrow. You must be confused but don't worry about it MJ, that's just the way this school is... everyone is curious about everything, hard to keep secrets... unless you are elite and you have access to every piece of information and every rumor before it spreads, that way you can control communications. That my friend, is what makes people important. Don't you ever forget that."  
  
*** Dak took Max by the arm and started pointing to the guys and girls sitting around the table.  
  
"Ok, that's Luke, Melissa, Sean and Stephanie. You know them already Max. And that's Nikki, Iker and Leo. Alecsander you know them..."  
  
"Please, call me Alec." He smiled at the girls sitting around the table, they where all extremely beautiful.  
  
"Ok, Alec. The ones you don't know are Ashley, Amanda Dave and Dade."  
  
"See that small group over there? They are our hackers. On that table to their left we have the geeks"  
  
"They are the math and astronomy club. They can multiply amazing numbers in their heads." Dave explained.  
  
"On our left we have the chess club and on our right we have the girls table." Dak pointed to a small group of five girls wearing their hair in pigtails tied with ribbons, their skirts were short, they wore knee high socks and had on very light makeup, their nails where painted pink.  
  
"They seem cute." Alec commented. Dak smiled "They are... they are five of the youngest students here, really sweet kids, everyone likes them."  
  
*** "My name is Mrs. Crick and I'm your gym teacher. For the past month we've been learning self defense."  
  
She made a hand signal and Dak and Iker propelled themselves forward, Iker wrapped his arm around Alec's throat and Dak did the same with Max.  
  
Neither transgenic saw that coming, they didn't have time to control their reaction. Alec flipped Iker over his shoulder effortlessly and Iker landed hard on the mats. Max did the same with Dak, only she managed to land on her feet.  
  
*** "Maybe we should tell you the school rules. You are not allowed to date your roommate or housemate, if they find out you're dating someone on your own building you will be relocated. The teachers like to leave optional work, you know for extra credits? But most of it is really hard, mostly the geeks are the ones who do that"  
  
"Every Friday we get a flu shot, we never get sick and no one misses school. They have been doing it for a year or so."  
  
"As for the group rules, we take small tests every week."  
  
"Tests? What kind of tests?" Max asked.  
  
"We have a hat, we call it the magic hat. Someone, anonymously, comes here every week and drops 12 pieces of paper into it. If you have an idea then you may write it down and drop it in too." Ashley told them.  
  
*** "Karaoke singing." Stephanie told them.  
  
"Skinny dipping at the lake." Dade said.  
  
Dak frowned at hers "Riding every ride at Six Flags"  
  
*** "The initiation is not easy. It's designed to test your abilities and get rid of your inhibitions If you do join we will become your family, that's what the dares are for too, they help get rid of inhibitions and make you stronger."  
  
"Alec, your mission is to seduce this girl. You will sleep with her, get to her computer and download the files named GC, OPC and AVF."  
  
"And what happens with the girl afterwards?"  
  
"Nothing, you tell her it was a one night thing, that you have a reputation to keep or what ever."  
  
"MJ, you are going to strip.There's a popular strip club nearby, we need to know who goes in and out. You have to apply for a job there, go in, place a camera and then just do your work."  
  
"If both your missions are successfully then you will tag along to every dare we have to do for this week. The final phase of your initiation will take place Saturday night. We'll tell you what it is once the time comes."  
  
*** Alec sighed "Some of the missions back at Manticore were pretty much what I have to do now, go in, have sex with the target, obtain information and get out. They did that Max, and we needed to be comfortable with it. We had training on seducing targets, we had lovers skills, the works. Why do you think I didn't even complain when we where paired off? I was used to it Max."  
  
*** "Something's off with the music." Alec said.  
  
"Excuse me?" Logan asked.  
  
"The music, on the classrooms? You know Mozart? There's something wrong with it, a little sound or something. It might be nothing, maybe the sound system is just old."  
  
"Or maybe it's some kind of subliminal message."  
  
*** "It's so obvious! I can't believe we didn't notice this before!" Alec sat back down "Geeks? Intelligence, Chess club? Strategists, Astronomy club?"  
  
"Recon" Max filled in for him "Or maybe just scientist"  
  
"What about the cute girls?" She wondered.  
  
Max and Alec glanced at each other "Oh my god."  
  
"What?" Logan asked.  
  
"Psy ops" They said together.  
  
"What about the elite?"  
  
Max thought about it for a moment "Oh shit!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"They are COs!"  
  
*** "I couldn't sleep so I tried hacking into the school's security system, you know, cameras and records and stuff. Well it turns out that it's way too tight, firewalls and codes everywhere! It's going to take some time." *** Ashley offered Max a cup of coffee and she took it. She offered one to Dak to but the pretty brunet shook her head.  
  
*** Iker handed him a small package, Alec opened it slowly, trying not to make any noise.  
  
It was a pill  
  
"Sorry, I don't do drugs." Alec handed the pill back to Iker.  
  
"Me neither, it's a caffeine pill Alec! It'll help you concentrate!"  
  
Alec took the pill back and sighed. He really was tired and his muscles ached a little, and if it was what Iker said then what harm could it do? Not that it would harm him anyway, he was immune to drugs.  
  
He took a deep breath and plopped the pill into his mouth.  
  
*** A boy slowly walked up to her and sat on the seat she was saving. Max recognized him as one of the geeks  
  
"Hey, excuse me, could you sit somewhere else? I was kind of hoping to sit next to someone." Max whispered sweetly.  
  
"Hum... sure!" The guy stood up quickly and grabbed his bag. He started to walk away but changed his mind and turned around to face Max "My name is Tom by the..."  
  
"Alec!" Max called to him, he had just walked in but hadn't seen her because Tom was blocking his view.  
  
Tom stared at Alec for a moment, there was an expression on his face that Max couldn't read, but she wasn't really paying attention.  
  
*** Logan smiled at Sasha, an idea crossing through his head "You know, I think I brought one of the projects with me, want to give it a shot?"  
  
The girl's face brightened "Oh I would love to! I'm done with this anyway! What is it about?"  
  
"It's very difficult though, are you sure you want it?"  
  
The girl nodded enthusiastically  
  
"It's about finding a cure for a virus..."  
  
*** Max opened her eyes slowly and gasped "Alec she's beautiful!"  
  
Alec stood proudly besides the black convertible BMW that he and Max had seen the night before. *** Max's scream was deafening, she was sweating and sobbing and screaming "NO! NO! NO!" Alec was trying to shake her awake gently but she wasn't responding.  
  
Logan thundered down the stairs and frowned when he saw Max "What's going on?"  
  
"She's having a nightmare and I can't wake her up!" Alec yelled at him over Max's screams. *** Alec groaned in frustration "You want to know what goes on in my nightmares? Fine! Basically Rachel just looks at me and tells me that she hates me, that I killed her, that it's all my fault, that I'm a freak, a monster, a killer, a beast, that I have no soul, that she never loved me, that no one ever will..." *** "Alec?" Dak frowned.  
  
"I'm sorry, what?"  
  
"I asked, how are things going with Kat? Do you think you will be able to get her tonight?"  
  
Alec nodded "Sure, no problem." *** "Alec! What happened?" Dak asked him.  
  
Alec tossed her a disk and smirked "Nothing, I hope that's everything you wanted to know." *** "Take it off sugar!" One of the men close to her yelled.  
  
"Yeah, let us see you!" Another one followed.  
  
Max took a deep breath and unhooked her bra. *** Max bit her lip "Alec, I'm fine. Sure I'm a little shaken but you should be feeling much worse than I am!" " I didn't sleep with her."  
  
*** "What's going on? I heard a thump." Logan walked down the stairs.  
  
"You heard a thump? Where were you? Camping by our door?" Max snapped. *** Kat backed away slowly "Oh..."  
  
"Kat I..."  
  
"No, don't say anything! You're elite, I'm just a hacker. I should have known better."  
  
"No Kat wait! I wasn't..."  
  
Dak placed a hand on his arm "Let her go."  
  
Alec nodded. He stood there and watched Kat run away. *** "Guys, we need a copy of whatever they play on those loudspeakers."  
  
"Why?" Max asked Logan  
  
"I think they are brainwashing us."  
  
  
  
  
  
********************************************** ********************************************** ********************************************** **********************************************  
  
DARES  
  
*To Crash. Happy Valentine's day honey.*  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
"Shh..." Alec sat up quickly and closed his eyes.  
  
Max and Logan stared at him.  
  
"Logan, can you play that backwards and a little bit slower."  
  
"Sure" Logan typed away and then hit play.  
  
A strong manly voice could be heard clearly.  
  
MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE MISSION DUTY DISCIPLINE...  
  
________________________________________________  
  
Max stared at the screen, her mouth hanging open. "How come we didn't see this before?"  
  
"Max, it's backwards and slow. There's no way anyone could have seen that coming, not even you two" Logan rubbed his temple and leaned back on his chair.  
  
"Yeah but still, what does this mean? We're slowly being brainwashed?" Max sat down on the desk and turned to Alec "What do you think?"  
  
"Turn it off" Alec whispered.  
  
"Hold on, we should record this. Put it somewhere safe." Logan typed away.  
  
"Turn it off." Alec whispered again.  
  
Max frowned "Alec..."  
  
"TURN IT OFF!" Alec stood up. He grabbed an ashtray from the coffee table and threw it at the computer. It slammed against the monitor, shattering into a million pieces that flew in every direction. Logan ducked under the desk in time to avoid the pieces and Max jumped as far away as she could but a piece of glass managed to embroil itself on her left hand.  
  
"Shit! Alec!" She screamed.  
  
Alec stood there, frozen in place. He mumbled something that sounded like an apology and flew down the stairs. Max could hear the bathroom door slamming closed behind him.  
  
Logan went to the kitchen to get a cloth to stop the blood oozing out of Max's hand. He was about to hand it to her when she stepped back "Don't come any closer Logan, my blood is everywhere."  
  
Logan looked down at the splashes of Max's blood and at his bare feet.  
  
"Go upstairs and put on some shoes. I'll get Alec to clean up this mess." Max held up her good hand and Logan tossed the cloth at her. She tried to take the piece of glass out but couldn't.  
  
"Go to Alec, he'll help you get it out." Logan told her.  
  
Max nodded "What the hell was he thinking?"  
  
Logan shrugged "The tape must have upset him. Go easy on him Max, I don't think he did that on purpose."  
  
Max ignored Logan's comment, she thundered down the stairs thinking about kicking Alec's ass.  
  
She kicked the bathroom door opened and what she saw made her heart wrench. Alec was kneeling down next to the toilet, his hair hung loosely over his sweaty forehead.  
  
"Are you ok?" Max asked him.  
  
Alec stood up and walked over to the sink to rinse his mouth "I'm always ok Max" He smiled at her weakly once he was done. He tried to walk by her but she stopped him by placing her good hand on his chest.  
  
They both looked down at where her blood soaked hand was touching him. Alec glanced from her good hand to her injured one and sighed "God Max, let me take a look at that"  
  
Max sat down on the edge of the bathtub and watched as Alec grabbed some cotton and bandages from the cabinet.  
  
He took her hand and cleaned it with alcohol before taking the piece of glass between his fingers and pulling. Max gripped his shoulder and tried to swallow her pain filled moan.  
  
"Max I'm so sorry." Alec apologized while he worked.  
  
"What happened? What made you do that?" Max wanted to know.  
  
"Bad memories. I had a rotten childhood you know?" Alec tried to crack a joke but his tone lacked it's usual sarcasm.  
  
Max reached out with her uninjured hand and brushed a piece of hair away from his face.  
  
"Reindocrination? Psy ops?"  
  
Alec sighed "Both"  
  
Max nodded. She watched as Alec wrapped her hand up on a bandage.  
  
"All done!" Alec tried to stand up but Max held on to his hand.  
  
"Tell me about her."  
  
Alec frowned "About her?" He repeated the question.  
  
"Rachel"  
  
Alec shook Max's hand away and stood up "There's nothing to tell Max."  
  
"Yes there is! It's still troubling you! Talking about it might make things better."  
  
Alec spun around to face her "We've been through this Max, I don't want your pity."  
  
Max followed him out the door and grabbed his arm, turning him around to face her once more "And you're not getting any."  
  
Alec groaned "What do you want me to say Max? She was my job ok? She was an innocent who got caught in the line of fire and went down because of me. That's all there is to tell."  
  
Max shook her head, her voice softening "They wouldn't have tortured you the way they did if that was all there is to know."  
  
Alec stared at his feet, his face softening as Max's voice had just moments ago. He looked like a lost little boy and all Max wanted to do was walk up to him and wrap her arms around him but she didn't, she didn't want him to feel like she was doing it because she felt sorry for him.  
  
"You loved her" Max whispered "She died, that's not something you can just get over."  
  
Alec shook his head "I didn't love her Max, I'm a soldier! Soldiers don't fall in love with their targets"  
  
Max walked up to him then and placed a hand on his shoulder "You are just human Alec. Well... maybe not JUST human but mostly human. You have a right to love and to be loved. She loved you too you know?"  
  
Alec could feel his training slipping away. He wanted to believe Max's words, he wanted to believe that he was capable of love.  
  
"She was the most amazing girl I had ever seen in my life. So innocent, so full of life. She made me feel... different. I was sent to kill her, I told her she was my job..."  
  
Max saw the wetness on his eyes "You didn't kill her Alec."  
  
"I did! If I had said something sooner, I should have fought them Max. She didn't deserve to die." He tried to blink away the tears with little success.  
  
Max shook her head "You did everything you could Alec."  
  
"I planted the charges, I was the one who made her go after her father!"  
  
"Yes but you did not kill her! If you had then you wouldn't have ended up in Psy ops of it!" Max's voice was soft but at the same time a little harsh.  
  
Alec took a deep breath "She's still dead Max."  
  
"She's in a better place than we are Alec, she's safe now."  
  
Alec said nothing, he sat down on his bed, his eyes still on the floor.  
  
Max sat down next to him "What happened afterwards?"  
  
"They took me in, they tortured me. The locked me in a tiny room with no food or water, the only thing I could hear was that deep voice repeating over and over again 'Mission, Duty, Discipline...'" Alec took a deep breath "I'm sorry I exploded the way I did."  
  
Max shrugged "It happens to the best of us."  
  
Alec shook his head "Once they decided I was capable of going out on missions again they sent me on a 'Valentine Mission'"  
  
"What's that?" Max asked.  
  
"I had to sleep with my target, then wait until she trusted me and use that against her to take her back to Manticore."  
  
"Manticore wanted an ordinary girl? Why?"  
  
Alec shrugged "She must have been some kind of computer geek or something, I don't know. She was just a couple of years older than Rachel but you'd never know by looking at her body, she was tiny and seemed delicate but she wasn't, she was a tough girl and her eyes... her eyes seemed so old..."  
  
Max wondered why he was telling her all this and then she knew "When I was about to have sex with that girl all I could think about was Rachel and how much I wished I could be making love to her instead of just some stranger. I couldn't go through with it. My target identified with me quicker than anyone was expecting, I got her into Manticore in record time. The doctors were proud of me. One of them told me 'You see son? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' Well that wasn't true, not for me. A part of me died with Rachel, I'll never get that back."  
  
Max sniffed, she wanted to say something but when she saw the wetness on his cheek she found no words for her feelings so she wrapped her arms around him instead.  
  
Alec was a little surprised at first but he needed the contact, he craved it. So he wrapped his arms around Max's waist and buried his face on her shoulder.  
  
Max could feel the wetness of his tears soaking her shirt and she stroked his hair. Then she said, in a voice clouded by her own tears "It's over Alec, she's safe now. Nothing can hurt her now. She died knowing that you loved her. Everything is going to be ok."  
  
They staid like that, their arms wrapped around each other, for what seemed like hours until Alec's tears began to subside. Too tired to even think he let go of Max and laid down on his bed on top of the covers.  
  
Max took off both their shoes before leaning towards him to kiss his forehead.  
  
Alec took her hand in his and pulled her towards him. Max allowed him to pull her on to the bed, she welcomed his arms when they held her close to him and she closed her own eyes, allowing herself to sleep.  
  
That was how Logan found them a few hours later when he went downstairs to check on Max, he bit his lower lip and closed his eyes for a second, then he took a blanket from the closet and covered the two transgenics with it before walking upstairs again, closing the door behind him.  
  
**************  
  
"Sebastian I don't know what else to do! The numbers make no sense." Logan rubbed his temples and stared at the image of his friend on the screen.  
  
"I'll take a look at them for you but I can't promise you anything. If your transgenic friend can't see a pattern then there probably isn't one."  
  
Logan sighed "There's still no explanation for how tired they have been lately. I had never seen Max sleep so much."  
  
"Max is sleeping? I thought she had shark DNA."  
  
"She does! That's what's got me so worried! She has been late for school every single day because she can't wake up. She never used to sleep for more than four hours."  
  
Sebastian staid quiet for a second and then said "Logan, send me a copy of that tape please."  
  
"Sure." He said and sent him a fragment of it.  
  
"Hold on." Sebastian told Logan and he nodded.  
  
"Bingo!" Sebastian said after a few seconds.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Listen to this."  
  
A sound that made nails on a chalkboard sound like a symphony came over the loudspeakers. Logan covered his ears and groaned "Sebastian what is that?"  
  
"That is a sound that increases your ability to retain information. It enhances your memory so to speak."  
  
Logan frowned "Is that even possible?"  
  
"It's experimental and very rare. It's also illegal."  
  
Logan sighed "I can't believe they are using it on kids."  
  
"It can have some serious side effects such as violence. Some brains just can't endure the pressure of that enhancement. That's probably why your transgenic roommates are sleeping so much, their bodies can't keep up."  
  
"Like when Max stuck that chip on her neck, her body was going to burn out."  
  
"This might not be as severe, the sounds might not even be the only thing Manticore is using to enhance the students."  
  
Logan took his glasses off and tossed them at the couch "Thanks Sebastian, I'll keep my eyes open." He terminated the connection and sat back on his chair.  
  
"Who were you talking to?" Alec asked.  
  
Logan jumped up and turned around to face him "Jesus Alec! Don't do that!"  
  
"Sorry." Alec knelt down besides the small spots of Max's dry blood and used a wet cloth to wipe them away.  
  
"I was talking to Sebastian... hey come here for a second." Logan took his glasses from the couch and pulled Alec's collar away from his neck. The lines of his barcode were starting to show again.  
  
"Damn, your barcode is coming back. Max's probably is too."  
  
Alec sighed "I'll look for a tattoo parlor tomorrow. What were you and Sebastian talking about anyway?"  
  
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Just go and get some sleep."  
  
Alec shrugged "Fine. Good night."  
  
"Night."  
  
Logan waited until he heard Alec walk down the stairs to think about Sebastian's words.  
  
:It can have some serious side effects such as violence. Some brains just can't endure the pressure of that enhancement:  
  
He'd have to keep his eyes open, protecting Max was his top priority.  
  
*************  
  
When Max woke up she realized that she was lying by herself in Alec's bed. She sat up and found him sleeping on her bed so she got up, stretched and walked upstairs.  
  
Logan was exercising in the living room.  
  
"Hey Max."  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"Is Alec up yet?"  
  
Max frowned "No, I don't think so."  
  
Logan dropped the weighs and walked over to the kitchen "Can you go get him please? I want to tell you something."  
  
Max shrugged "Sure"  
  
She ran down the stairs and jumped into her bed, landing on top of Alec.  
  
"Omphhhh Max get off!"  
  
Max laughed and rolled off him. "Come on, Logan wants to talk to us."  
  
Alec groaned but followed Max into the kitchen. Logan was making breakfast.  
  
"Have a seat. Oh Max could you hand me that carton of milk please?"  
  
"Sure." Max handed Logan the milk and sat down on a stool next to Alec.  
  
"What is this about Logan?" Alec asked.  
  
Logan sighed "Let me ask you some questions. How many students are in your math class?"  
  
"27" Max and Alec answered at the same time.  
  
"How many black shirts do you own?"  
  
"Fifteen" Answered Max.  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "Seventeen"  
  
Max frowned "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, I have a black button down shirt that I almost never use..."  
  
"Guys! Focus please." Logan told them. "What's the school's phone number?"  
  
"555-04-21-86-53"  
  
Logan took a deep breath "What number is printed at the bottom of this milk carton?"  
  
"8462859765109987" Both transgenics answered at the same time.  
  
Max turned around to face Alec, her eyes wide open.  
  
"Logan what's going on? We didn't even look at the number."  
  
"You did, for less than a second. They are trying to enhance our memory. That's why you two are so tired all the time, Sebastian thinks your bodies can't handle it too well."  
  
Max rested her head on her arms and sighed "Like the incident with the Reds."  
  
"The what?" Alec frowned.  
  
"Long story, I'll explain later." Max told him.  
  
"Yes, sort of like what the implant did to you only not as aggressive. You might feel kind of funky but you won't die."  
  
"Ok, now I really want to find out about the red thing." Alec said.  
  
Max ignored him "So it won't harm us?"  
  
"Not really, it'll just make you tired. It can be dangerous for other people though, Sebastian said some people become violent."  
  
Max groaned "Great, just what we need. Weird, crazy, VIOLENT kids."  
  
*************  
  
"MJ!" Dakareth ran up to Max and hooked arms with her.  
  
"Hey Dak! What's up? I'm going to be late for homeroom... again."  
  
Dakareth shrugged "Nothing's up, I just wanted to know if you're ready for Saturday."  
  
"Saturday?"  
  
"The dares? Roller coasters? Karaoke? Skinny dipping?"  
  
Max swallowed a groan and smiled sweetly "Oh yeah, right. I'm ready"  
  
Dak stopped Max with her arm and both girls stood still. Dakareth looked around for someone but there was no one there, then her eyes focused on Max's.  
  
"Hey Max! How about a sleepover at your place today?" Ashley popped up out of nowhere, blowing a strand of her curly blonde hair away from her forehead.  
  
"Uh?" Max shook her head.  
  
"That's a great idea! That way we can drive to Six Flags early and get the roller coasters thing done before lunch!" Dak smiled excitedly.  
  
"Oh girls I don't know, Alec might not feel too comfortable with all of us there."  
  
"Well if he doesn't want to be around us gorgeous girls he can stay over at Iker's, I'm sure he won't mind!" Ashley suggested.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Hey girls, what's going on?" Alec appeared behind Max and handed her a Biology book "You left this in the car." He told her.  
  
"Oh thanks." Max smiled at him and took the book. She noticed that Dak was looking at her in a funny way but didn't say anything.  
  
"So Alec, you don't mind us girls invading your apartment tonight do you?" Ashley asked him.  
  
"You want to have a sleepover in our apartment?" He asked the girls.  
  
"The boy is quick." Dak commented and winked at him.  
  
"Well... sure, if it's ok with Max. I'll ask Mr. Cale if I can crash on his couch."  
  
"You can stay with one of the guys!" Ashley chipped in.  
  
"Oh no, that's ok. I'm sure Mr. Cale won't mind."  
  
"Great! So we'll be there after school!" Dakareth smiled.  
  
"No!" Alec jumped in "I... uh... I have to clean up my mess, I'm really sloppy."  
  
"No big deal! If I can live with Leo's mess I can stand yours for a day." Ashley said.  
  
"Oh I'm sure you don't want to see Alec's Magic Unicorn boxers laying on the floor." Max said "Come by at six, I'll rent some videos and buy some junk food."  
  
The bell rang then and the four of them started running to their respective homerooms.  
  
"Ok, we'll see you at 6 MJ!" Dak yelled.  
  
Max reached her homeroom and was about to go inside when Alec stopped her.  
  
"Alec, I know I shouldn't have said yes but..."  
  
"Magic Unicorn?!" Alec whispered harshly.  
  
Max laughed and turned away from him "I have to go to class." and with that she left him fuming in the hall.  
  
*************  
  
Max sat down near the back of the room and smiled. The classical music coming out of the loudspeakers made her a little uneasy but she knew she had to get used to it.  
  
"Hi." A boy with greasy black hair waved at Max.  
  
"Oh hey! Todd right?"  
  
The boy closed his eyes and lowered his head "Tom."  
  
"Oh yeah!" 'So much for enhancing my memory' She said under her breath.  
  
A strong pair of hands covered her eyes then and she smiled.  
  
"Iker?"  
  
The owner of the hands remained quiet.  
  
"Leo!" Max said but still no answer.  
  
"Hey bro! You left your jacket in the cafeteria you idiot! Hey MJ!" Max heard a voice a few feet away and her smile widened.  
  
"Dade!"  
  
The guy removed his hands and laughed "Close, I'm Dave."  
  
"Hi!" Dave's twin brother Dade sat down on the seat next to Max's.  
  
"I need to find a way of telling you apart."  
  
"It's easy once you get to know us." Dave took the seat in front of Max and took his jacket from his brother.  
  
Max suddenly remembered she had been talking to Tom and turned around to face him but he was reading so she left him alone.  
  
"So MJ, how did you manage to make it here in time today?" Dave asked.  
  
"I bought a new alarm clock." Max lied.  
  
"Ok kids! Settle down and let's get this over with." The teacher clapped twice to get the attention of the class.  
  
"Get what over?" Max asked the twins.  
  
"It's Friday, vaccine day." Dave told her.  
  
"Vaccine day?" Max started to worry when a nurse walked in.  
  
"Yup, against the flu. Someone must have told you about this."  
  
"Oh yeah." Max smiled at them but inside she was panicking.  
  
"Roll up your sleeve darling." The nurse instructed her.  
  
"You know, I hate needles. I think I'll pass."  
  
The nurse smiled and grabbed Max's arm "Don't be ridiculous honey, this won't hurt!"  
  
"It really doesn't hurt. Here, you can squeeze my hand if you want." Dade offered his hand.  
  
Max sighed and took Dade's hand just to make it seem like she really was afraid of needles.  
  
The shot was quick and painless but Max was still worried. If they could enhance their minds with music god knows what they could do in their blood stream.  
  
The bell rang just as the nurse finished the whole class. Max stood up so fast she almost tumbled over on purpose.  
  
"Hey MJ are you ok?" Dade asked.  
  
"Fine! The shot just made me a little dizzy."  
  
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Dave told her.  
  
"Yeah well I'm not feeling so hot right now. I think I'm going to skip math today."  
  
Dade nodded "I'll tell Mr. Watson you're not feeling well."  
  
"Ok, thanks!"  
  
She rushed out of the room and walked towards Alec's homeroom as fast as she could.  
  
*************  
  
Alec met her halfway there, he looked cool, calm and collected but his eyes were moving around wildly, his hurry to find her was clear.  
  
"Alec!" She spotted him first.  
  
"Max! Are you ok?" He whispered.  
  
"I feel fine so far, what about you."  
  
"I feel fine too but we really need to make sure."  
  
"I'm skipping Math." Max told him.  
  
"And I'm skipping French. Now let's go find Logan."  
  
"His room is right down the hall." Max pointed out.  
  
Alec was already walking.  
  
He knocked on Logan's open door. Students were walking in slowly and Logan was sitting on the desk waiting for everyone to settle down. He stood up and walked to the door when he saw Alec and Max standing there.  
  
"Logan, the shots!" Max whispered urgently.  
  
"I know, we can draw some blood and send it to Sebastian when we get home."  
  
"Our bodies might have already absorbed whatever it is that they're giving us by then." Alec pointed out.  
  
"Plus I'm having a slumber party tonight." Max said.  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow "You are?"  
  
"Long story." Max shook her head.  
  
"You must get your barcode removed first." Logan reminded her.  
  
"No sweat, I found a place. We'll go after school." Alec told him.  
  
"Well, maybe you two can find a way to draw some blood right now. Go to the lab and steal some needles if you can find any."  
  
Max nodded "We're skipping first period.  
  
Logan sighed "I wish I could go with you but I'm the teacher."  
  
Max smiled softly "I know."  
  
"Come on Max, let's get out of here before someone finds us in the halls." Alec took her hand and tugged.  
  
Max nodded and waved goodbye at Logan before walking away with Alec.  
  
*************  
  
"Well, I found one syringe." Max held the plunger device up.  
  
Alec was holding two small containers in his hands "Just one?" He frowned.  
  
Max smiled mischievously "What's the matter? Afraid you'll catch something?"  
  
"Well... you've been out in the real world for a lot longer than I have..."  
  
"Yeah but you've been around way more than I've been." Max pointed out.  
  
"Yeah but still... needle sharing?"  
  
"Fine! One of this days when you're bleeding to death and need a transfusion I'll remind you of this moment and get Joshua to give you blood."  
  
Alec's eyes widened "Come on Maxie! You know I'm just kidding! Your blood is perfect! In every sense of the word I might add."  
  
Max rolled her eyes and pulled up her sleeve. Suddenly Alec straightened and quieted Max down with a wave of his hand. Then she heard it too, footsteps.  
  
Both transgenics held their breath until the footsteps moved away.  
  
"We need to find another place to do this." Alec said.  
  
"Where? Girl's bathroom?"  
  
"Girl's bathroom? No way! I'm not going into one of those! Boy's bathroom."  
  
Max rolled her eyes. "Alec you are so immature."  
  
"I'm still not going into a girl's bathroom Max."  
  
She sighed and walked out of the lab.  
  
*************  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"I'm trying to be gentle here!"  
  
"It's not that! You're stepping on my foot!"  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
Alec tried to move away from Max in the tiny space the closed stall provided. She was sitting down on the closed toilet seat and he was standing in front of her.  
  
"This position is too awkward, I can't do it like this."  
  
"Well try! Because I can't be standing up!"  
  
"I can't get it in!"  
  
"Here, I'll spread my legs and you can kneel down ok?" Max tried that but Alec's legs didn't fit in the small space.  
  
"I have an idea, straddle my lap."  
  
Max raised an eyebrow and Alec shrugged "There's no other way, I need the leverage! I have to see what I'm doing or it's really going to hurt."  
  
Max groaned and stood up. They bumped against each other and against the walls of the stall before they could get Alec to sit down. Max straddled his lap, resting her weight against his knees.  
  
"Ok, that's better." Alec told her.  
  
"Let's do this now! I can't hold on for much longer!" Max pointed at her position, it took some effort to keep her balance.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall off! Now relax so that I can get this thing in."  
  
Max took a deep breath while Alec inserted the needle in her arm.  
  
"Ow that hurt!"  
  
"Oh don't be a sissy." Alec smiled at her.  
  
"Here, let me..." Max tried to take the needle from him.  
  
"No no no no, you stay still and let me do all the work ok?"  
  
Max sighed "Well hurry up! I don't want us to get caught!"  
  
"Yeah yeah. Ok, here we go!" Alec smiled.  
  
Max moaned, she really did hate needles.  
  
"See? All done! I'll just get it out slowly."  
  
Max groaned "Now I'm going to be sore for the rest of the day."  
  
"Oh like you've never done this before!" Alec smiled.  
  
Suddenly the toilet next to theirs flushed and someone hurried out.  
  
Max's eyes widened and locked with Alec's. His shoulders were shaking as if he was trying really hard not to laugh.  
  
When the intruder left Max stood up and leaned against the door of the stall.  
  
"Oh my god. Why didn't we check to see if the stalls were empty? We didn't say any names did we?"  
  
Alec laughed out loud "No, but can you imagine what that guy thought we were doing in here?"  
  
Max smiled "No wonder he staid in there until we finished."  
  
Alec laughed harder "Come on, draw my blood before someone else needs to crap."  
  
*************  
  
"So we'll see you around six?" Melissa asked Max.  
  
"Yeah, I just want to clean up a little." Max smiled.  
  
"Hey MJ, let's go!" Alec yelled from the car.  
  
"Ok, six o'clock!" She called out to the girls and jumped into Alec's convertible.  
  
"So where are you taking me to get this thing removed?"  
  
Alec started the car "A tattoo parlor. They're closed until five p.m."  
  
Max frowned "Why? And how do you know that?"  
  
"Because people have jobs, students have classes and lazy guys get up late. Who's going to get a tattoo at 3:30? A house wife?"  
  
Max raised an eyebrow "Alec, it's 2021! Moms have tattoos! And you didn't answer my second question."  
  
Alec gave her a cocky grin "I have my ways Maxie."  
  
Max grunted and crossed her arms. The rest of the ride was quiet. Finally after 15 minutes of driving Alec parked the car and got out.  
  
The lock was almost an insult for the two gifted transgenics. Alec had it open in 3 seconds flat.  
  
"Come on." He guided Max to the large table on the corner and turned on the laser.  
  
"Why do I always have to go first?" She asked while unbuttoning the top of her shirt so that Alec could pull it down past her neck.  
  
"You're a lady... sort of... and ladies go first."  
  
Max hit his leg, which was the only part of him she could reach while lying on her stomach, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Just do it." She said.  
  
Alec smiled and got to work.  
  
*************  
  
"So I sent the blood samples to Sebastian, he'll get back to me as soon as he can..."  
  
"Alec please pick up your dirty boxers from the floor! The girls are going to be here any minute now!" Max took a bowl of chips to the coffee table and rushed back to the tiny kitchen.  
  
"They are not dirty! They are wet." Alec picked up the boxers along with his wet shirt and pants from the day before.  
  
Logan, who was sitting at the top of the stairs smiled. "Hey teenagers! Focus please?"  
  
Max smiled too "Sorry, this place is a mess! I'm not sure the girls will want us to be elite if they see how messy Alec is. I'm doing this for the mission."  
  
"The mission? Right." Logan's smile broadened.  
  
Alec straightened his and Max's beds and ran upstairs for the broom while Max poured some drinks.  
  
"Pepsi?" Alec asked Max when he got back.  
  
"We're supposed to be 17 Alec." She reminded him.  
  
"Well yeah but still..." Alec shrugged "Alcohol is more fun!"  
  
"Hey, is my neck still red?" Max lifted her hair.  
  
Alec took a peek and shook his head "You're all clear!"  
  
"Good" Max held her curly hair up with a pair of chinese sticks and straightened her tight black shirt.  
  
"Max! If I didn't know you better I'd say you're nervous." Logan said, clearly amused.  
  
"I'm not nervous!"  
  
Someone knocked then and Max took a deep breath.  
  
"Logan!"  
  
"I'm going!" He left the basement and closed the door softly behind him.  
  
"I'm clearing out of here too." Alec told Max.  
  
"No!" Max stopped him. "Can you stay until everyone gets here? I don't want to be alone with one of those girls."  
  
Alec smiled "Sure Maxie."  
  
Max took another deep breath and opened the door.  
  
"Hi there!" She said.  
  
Alec sat down on the couch. 'Max acting like a real teenager. This is going to be interesting.' He thought.  
  
*************  
  
"...so I said, Iker you're a pig." Melissa tossed her straight black hair over her shoulder.  
  
Amanda, who was painting Ashley's nails looked up. "No way! Why did you kiss him then?"  
  
"I did not kiss him! Who told you that?" Melissa squeaked.  
  
Stephanie and Amanda shared a glance "Sean."  
  
"Well Sean is lying. Nothing happened with Iker."  
  
"Then why did you tell me to go sleep in Sean's room?" Nikki smiled mischievously.  
  
"Nikki!" Melissa hissed.  
  
"Oh you bitch! You slept with Iker?" Dakareth laughed.  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"You did too! And I hope Iker is a god in bed because Sean snores! I don't understand how anyone can sleep in the same room as him!" Nikki leaned forward and smiled.  
  
"So, was it good?"  
  
Melissa sighed and looked down at her pink PJ's "It was great."  
  
The rest of the girls squeaked and scrambled closer to her.  
  
"Details Mel! Come on!" Dak prodded.  
  
Max smiled, she felt so relaxed and normal. Sleepovers and teenage sex talks were only a few of the things she had missed while running away from a secret government organization.  
  
"There's nothing to tell! I just drank a little too much."  
  
Amanda snorted "Oh please, we all know how high your metabolism is! I would take a lot to get you drunk!"  
  
"Well I drank a lot!"  
  
Everyone laughed then. Max took a sip of her soda and sat back to enjoy her normal sleepover.  
  
"So MJ, tell us about your black list." Dak smiled.  
  
Max swallowed her Pepsi quickly in an attempt to keep it inside her body instead of spraying it all over the coffee table.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"How many guys have you slept with? You're not a virgin are you?"  
  
Max looked around nervously "Uh, no."  
  
"Hey girls! I've got something for you!" Alec kicked the door open. He was carrying two large pizzas and a video.  
  
Max sighed in relief "Let me help you with that!"  
  
"No that's ok, I'll just put them down on the kitchen table."  
  
Max rushed to his side anyway and took a box from him.  
  
Alec frowned and whispered "I take it this isn't going very well."  
  
"It was going great until a few seconds ago when Dakareth decided to ask me about my sexual history!" Max whispered back.  
  
Alec swallowed a laugh and grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. "Well, good luck with that Maxie!" He patted her on the shoulder and raised the cold drink to his lips.  
  
"Well, I'm out for the night. I'll crash on Mr. Cale's couch if you guys need anything." Alec said that last part looking straight at Max. He grabbed his pillow and bedspread and ran up the stairs.  
  
A chorus of "Good night Alec!" followed his retreat.  
  
"So MJ, let's get back to the matter at hand." Melissa smiled.  
  
Max groaned inwardly, how was she supposed to explain her heat cycles to 6 teenage girls without sounding like a whore or giving away her cover?  
  
"Yeah! Bring over the pizza girl!" Ashley laughed.  
  
Max laughed in relief and tossed the movie at them. Stephanie caught it without so much as blinking.  
  
"The Exorcist? Cool!"  
  
"Oh that movie is like 50 years old!" Ashley complained.  
  
Amanda laughed "You're just saying that because it scares the crap out of you!"  
  
Dak got up and dimmed the lights. Then she walked slowly to the kitchen. "Hey MJ, let me help you with the plates."  
  
"That's ok, I've..."  
  
Max frowned, Dakareth had a strange look on her face and it mesmerized her.  
  
"Hey! Are you two going to get here sometime tonight? Because if you're not I'm eat the carpet I swear!" Ashley called.  
  
Max shook her head "What was I saying?"  
  
Dak frowned "I was going to help you with the plates... remember Max?"  
  
"Yeah, I spaced out I guess." Max shook her head again to clear it.  
  
"Are you feeling alright?" Dak asked.  
  
"Fine. Let's eat!" Max gave Dak a fake smile and carried the pizzas to the coffee table.  
  
"Shhhhh, the movie is starting!" Amanda whispered.  
  
"When did you put it on?" Max asked.  
  
"Just now... MJ, are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine, just fine." Max smiled again and sat down on the couch, resisting the urge to run upstairs to Alec and Logan. She would have to deal with her strange loss of concentration in the morning.  
  
*************  
  
Alec could hear Logan typing away at his computer.  
  
"Aren't you tired?" He asked.  
  
"Not really, I just want to look at this information one more time before going to bed." Logan leaned closer to the screen and typed some more.  
  
Alec sighed "I have to get up early!"  
  
"So go to sleep!" Logan replied.  
  
"Well you're making too much noise! It's past 3 AM!" Alec complained.  
  
"You know, you could always go downstairs and hear the girls talk about menstruation and bikini wax..."  
  
"Good night!" Alec rolled over on the couch and covered his head with his pillow.  
  
Logan's small laugh was the last thing he heard.  
  
A few hours later he woke up for no apparent reason. He checked his watch, it was a little past five.  
  
Alec had a really strange feeling so he walked to the basement door and pressed his ear against the dark wood.  
  
Then he heard it, a small whimper.  
  
He opened the door trying not to make too much noise and walked slowly down the stairs.  
  
Using his night vision he was able to locate 4 girls asleep on sleeping bags all over the floor, two more girls sharing his bed and Max, alone on her bed, moaning softly.  
  
He made his way towards her carefully and sat down on the bed. He ran his hands over the soft skin of her face, wanting her to feel the small pressure of his fingertips and wake up.  
  
That didn't work, the whimpering only got louder so Alec climbed on to the bed next to Max and held her to him.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Shhh" He quieted her down softly.  
  
Max opened her eyes and glanced up at him. "Was I screaming?" She mouthed.  
  
Alec shook his head "Just whimpering." He mouthed back.  
  
Max nodded "You can't stay here."  
  
"I know."  
  
Both transgenics staid still for a few moments. Alec leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly.  
  
"Try to get some more sleep, you're going to need it."  
  
Max smiled and nodded.  
  
Alec left the basement as quietly as he had arrived and Max closed her eyes again.  
  
A pair of clear green eyes stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before finally fluttering shut, but not until Max's breathing had evened out.  
  
**************  
  
"Raise and shine sleepy head!"  
  
Max groaned and covered her head with a pillow.  
  
"Dakareth, shut up!"  
  
"Can't! It's late! You should be up already!" Dak jumped up and down on Max's bed.  
  
Max groaned again and checked her watch "Dak, it's seven AM!"  
  
"Exactly! Now go take a shower before the rest of the gang gets here! We're going to Six Flags!"  
  
"Ok, ok fine!" Max sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Let me just go wake up Alec first."  
  
Max realized that the rest of the girls were already showered and dressed. They were sitting around the breakfast bar drinking coffee.  
  
Max dragged her tired feet up the stairs and towards the living room where Alec was sleeping. He had one arm under his pillow and the other one over his head.  
  
Max shook his naked shoulders and whispered "Alec, wake up."  
  
He grunted "Piss off Max."  
  
She shook him harder and raised her voice "Come on Alec, it's late."  
  
Alec groaned and grabbed her arms. In one swift move he had her trapped between his body and the couch. "Shut up woman and let me sleep."  
  
Max sighed "We don't have time for this Alec! The guys will be here in twenty minutes and we still have to shower and eat breakfast!"  
  
"We can do that in ten minutes."  
  
"No we can't! We only have one shower!" Max tried to push him off her but his arms on either side of hers made it impossible for her to move much.  
  
"Save water, shower with a friend." Alec mumbled.  
  
"Alec!"  
  
"Hey guys! You two really need to..." Amanda yelped, the noise startled Alec and he tumbled to the floor, hitting his head ungracefully against the coffee table.  
  
"Hum I'll... I'll just..." Amanda opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else but she closed it again and ran down the stairs instead.  
  
"Now look at what you've done! If she tells anyone what she just saw we're screwed!" Max growled at Alec.  
  
He rubbed the back of his head and moaned "Max, I'm in pain here! Show me some sympathy!"  
  
Max shook her head and pushed his neck down so that she could see the back of his head.  
  
"There's no blood so stop whining."  
  
Alec gave her a look "It still hurts!"  
  
"Get over it!" Max told him and thundered down the stairs.  
  
"Hey, is everything ok?" Logan, who was standing at the top of his stairs, asked.  
  
"Bitchin'" Alec answered before following Max.  
  
*************  
  
"Wooooooohooooooo! That was wild!" Leo was jumping up and down like a kid on his birthday.  
  
Nikki laughed "Leo calm down! If the rides don't make you lose your lunch so much jumping certainly will.  
  
Max laughed with Nikki and looked around. They had only gone on one ride but the adrenaline rush had been amazing. She had never been on a roller coaster before that.  
  
'And there are still nine to go' She thought with a smile.  
  
"Hey! Let's buy some souvenirs!" Dak pointed at one of the many stores and grabbed Nikki's hand. Nikki took Max's hand and together the three girls ran to the store.  
  
Dave, Leo and Alec walked calmly behind them rolling their eyes.  
  
The whole park looked as if the pulse had never happened but the store was incredible. It was filled with key chains and fridge magnets and mugs and T- shirts.  
  
Max was checking out some pencils when she felt Alec's presence behind her.  
  
"Having fun?" He asked.  
  
"Oh yeah." Max smiled and turned around.  
  
"I got something for you." Alec whispered and Max noticed his hands were behind his back.  
  
"What?"  
  
Alec smiled and handed her a disposable camera.  
  
"You can take all the pictures and then send the film to Original Cindy. Maybe that way she'll take pity on us and send pictures from home."  
  
Max felt the sudden urge to hug him but instead she gave him a tender smile and said "Thanks Alec."  
  
He shrugged and looked away.  
  
"Hey, what else did you buy?" Max asked him.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Nothing? Then why are you holding that huge bag?"  
  
Alec smiled mischievously "That's none of your business."  
  
Max rolled her eyes.  
  
"Hey guys look! A sky coaster!" Leo pointed at the dangerous looking attraction and grinned.  
  
"I think the two new kids should go first!"  
  
Alec took Max's hand and whispered "Act scared! This is going to be fun!"  
  
Max held up her new camera "OC will like the view!"  
  
*************  
  
After two ice creams, one cotton candy, a balloon, 9 roller coasters and a ridiculous cartoon drawing of him and Max Alec was ready to leave.  
  
"No!" Max said when he suggested going home to get ready for the next dare.  
  
"Why the hell not?"  
  
"I want a stuffed animal." Max smiled.  
  
Dak groaned "Max, those games are too stupid! They are a waste of money."  
  
Dave shrugged "They are too easy Dak! Come on, I'll win you a teddy bear."  
  
"I can win my own teddy bears thank you very much!" Dak said indignantly.  
  
Alec smiled "What do you want MJ?"  
  
Max pointed at a huge black bear and Alec moaned "You're going to make me carry it all the way back home aren't you?"  
  
Max nodded enthusiastically  
  
"It's my punishment for not telling you what's in the bag isn't it?"  
  
Max nodded again.  
  
"Man, you've got to win the damn thing first! That game is hard!"  
  
Leo had a point. Inserting a tiny ring on the neck of a bottle was hard... for a normal human anyway.  
  
Alec paid two bucks and took the three rings from the guy. He missed his first shot on purpose, making the guys laugh and the girls moan.  
  
He smiled and widened his pupils. He calculated the speed of the wind, the weight of the ring, the force of his arm and the distance between him and the bottles before tossing the ring.  
  
It landed perfectly on the neck of the bottle.  
  
Max squeaked in delight as Alec told the guy which bear he wanted.  
  
He handed it to Max, the bear was almost as tall as she only it was soft and that made it hard to carry.  
  
"Let's toss this thing on the back seat and get going! You two need to get ready for Karaoke!" Dave suggested.  
  
Max sighed. One down, two to go. And it was only going to get harder.  
  
*************  
  
"Guys! Dinner!" Logan yelled from his kitchen.  
  
The two teenagers raced up the stairs and sat down to eat.  
  
"What are we having?" Max asked.  
  
"Pizza."  
  
"Uh? What happen to the culinary miracles?" Alec frowned.  
  
"I spent all day working on those codes." Logan explained.  
  
"Any luck?"  
  
"No. I think you're right Alec, there is no pattern."  
  
Alec shrugged and grabbed a slice of pizza "We'll find something else, plus we'll know more when Sebastian gets back to you on those blood tests."  
  
Logan sighed "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll just have to wait."  
  
The phone rang then and Logan stood up to answer it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mr. Cale? It's Sasha."  
  
Logan frowned "Oh hi. How did you get this number?"  
  
Max raised her eyebrows and Logan mouthed "Student"  
  
"Never mind that. I'm sorry to call you at home but I couldn't wait until Monday..."  
  
"Hey, someone's honking." Alec pointed out.  
  
"Oh my God, what time is it?" Max stood up and grabbed a slice of pizza.  
  
"Late apparently." Alec raced down the stairs.  
  
Max stuffed the pizza into her mouth and waved goodbye to Logan, he waved back and kept talking to Sasha.  
  
"So what is it?"  
  
"I'm almost done with the project."  
  
"You mean the virus I gave you?" Logan held his breath.  
  
"Yes! All I need now is a sample of subject 2's blood so that I can test my theory."  
  
"Subject 2... is that the carrier?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. How long will the tests take?"  
  
"About a week, just to be on the safe side."  
  
Logan smiled "I'll get the sample for you today."  
  
***************  
  
"Who the hell is Michelle Branch?" Max stared at her sheet of paper and shook her head.  
  
"Beats me, who the hell is three doors down?" Alec handed her his lyrics and she frowned.  
  
"I really have no idea."  
  
"MJ! What are you waiting for? You're up next!" Melissa whispered urgently as she pushed Max towards the stage.  
  
"What? I've only heard the song once! I really can't carry the tune... Melissa, why don't you go first?"  
  
"Uh... no." Melissa gave Max one final push towards the stage before grabbing Alec's arm and dragging him over to where Sean, Luke and Stephanie where sitting.  
  
Max grabbed the mike one of the guys from the band offered her and closed her eyes.  
  
The music started and she looked at the small TV that displayed the lyrics even though she knew them by heart.  
  
And then she started to sing.  
  
"I wanted to be like you. I wanted everything so I tried to be like you and I got swept away..."  
  
Alec smiled and relaxed on his seat. Her voice was good, really good. Not that he was expecting anything else from Manticore's perfect creature.  
  
Max looked around the room, everyone was staring at her and she was getting nervous.  
  
'Focus on something' She told herself. Her gaze fell on Alec sitting on the first row. He was staring at her with a smile on his face so she locked her eyes with his and kept singing.  
  
"I didn't know that it was so cold and you needed someone to show you the way. So I took your hand and we figured out that when the tide comes I'd take you away."  
  
"Alec you should go backstage. You're up next." Steph whispered.  
  
Alec barely heard her, he was too busy concentrating on Max and her beautiful voice.  
  
"If you want to I can save you, I can take you away from here..."  
  
"Alec, are you listening to me?" Steph whispered more urgently.  
  
"So lonely inside, so busy out there. And all you wanted was somebody who cares..."  
  
"Alec!" Steph tugged his sleeve, finally forcing him to look up.  
  
"Uh?"  
  
"You're up next."  
  
"Oh, right." He shook his head to clear it and rushed backstage. He wanted to be there when Max finished her song.  
  
She walked off the stage calmly but Alec could see a small tremor going through her.  
  
"You ok?" He asked.  
  
"I'd never done that before." She said.  
  
Alec surrounded her with his arms and whispered in her ear "You did great."  
  
"Alecsander Cage?" A guy with a clipboard yelled.  
  
"Your turn." Max smiled against Alec's chest.  
  
"Will you wait for me here?" He asked.  
  
She nodded and leaned against the wall.  
  
Alec took a deep breath and left to face the crowd.  
  
Max staid where she was and just listened to his voice. She noticed that he was a really good singer.  
  
"I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind. I left my body laying somewhere in the sands of time..."  
  
Max walked slowly towards the stage, she staid out of view from the crowd but she was close enough for Alec to see her and he did.  
  
He glanced at her and smiled sadly before singing the chorus of the song, skipping a few lines and therefore forcing the band to change their rhythm to keep up.  
  
"If I go crazy then will you still call me superman. If I'm alive and well will you be there holding my hand. I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might Kryptonite..."  
  
**************  
  
"Where are we going now?" Alec asked Sean.  
  
"You two are going with Iker, Dave, Amanda and Ashley. Skinny dipping remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Alec groaned inwardly. Not that watching Max naked was going to be a problem, it was his reaction to her what concerned him.  
  
After a while Iker picked him and Max up. They drove to the lake in silence.  
  
Amanda, Ashley and Dave where already there when they got there.  
  
"Hey guys! How did the Karaoke go?" Ashley asked.  
  
"It went great." Max answered for both of them.  
  
"Good. Let's get this over shall we?" Amanda had her straight blonde hair up in a pony tail. She took her top off without thinking twice about it. Ashley followed her example and Iker and Dave unbuttoned their pants and pushed them down their legs.  
  
Max glanced at Alec and took a deep breath. Alec turned his back to her in respect and she smiled. She took her top off quickly, her pants and underwear followed.  
  
Max jumped into the lake, grateful for the cloudy night. There was barely any light so the others couldn't really se her. Her pupils quickly adjusted and she smiled at the advantage.  
  
Alec got undressed and followed Max into the lake.  
  
Once the six teenagers were in Alec asked "Great, now what?"  
  
Iker shrugged "Now we play."  
  
Max's eyes went wide as Iker swam towards her.  
  
She shrieked and splashed some water his way.  
  
Iker laughed and splashed back. Soon the war was on and everyone was laughing despite the situation.  
  
Dave, Iker, Amanda and Ashley seemed pretty comfortable and that made Max even more uncomfortable for some reason.  
  
Suddenly Ashley shrieked and swam to the beach quickly.  
  
"Hey Ash, is everything ok?" Dave asked.  
  
"My cell phone is ringing!" She yelled before getting out of the water, her body covered only by the long blonde curls of her hair.  
  
Alec swam towards Max while Ashley answered the phone.  
  
"Having fun?" He whispered.  
  
"What do you think?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Hey! I'm having fun!" He smiled and looked down.  
  
Max slapped his shoulder and moved away.  
  
"Ouch! What was that for?"  
  
"You were looking!"  
  
"I can't see anything!" Alec argued.  
  
"If I can see then so can you."  
  
Alec smiled cockily "You were looking?"  
  
"What? No!" Max tried hard not to blush.  
  
Alec laughed "You where!"  
  
"No!" Max swam away from him a little more.  
  
"Oh don't lie!" Alec lounged for her and she squeaked.  
  
Suddenly a flash of white light shocked both transgenics. They looked up and saw Ashley holding Max's new camera.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us you had one of this? Cameras are so much fun!"  
  
Max sighed 'That's one picture Original Cindy is never going to get.' She thought.  
  
"That was Dakareth. She said we have completed the dare and we should get back to the house ASAP so that this two can do the last part of their initiation." Ashley pointed at Max and Alec.  
  
"Wait... we're not done with the initiation yet?" Max asked.  
  
"No, you just have to do one more thing. Don't worry though, it's really easy." Dave assured her.  
  
Alec shrugged "Let's go then!"  
  
Max couldn't help the feeling of dread that overcame her.  
  
*************  
  
"So what is the last part of the initiation?" Alec asked. The whole elite was sitting in a circle around a small fire and he was sitting on a log next to Max.  
  
"You two have done great so far but we can't let you be elite unless you do this." Dak said slowly.  
  
"Do what?" Max had been trying to come up with the worst case scenarios for the past half hour but nothing seemed worse than what they had already done... unless they wanted her to kill someone...  
  
"You have to spend the night in the house."  
  
Max looked at the huge abandoned mansion in front of her and frowned. "And..."  
  
Dakareth shrugged "And that's it. We'll lock you in and you have to spend the night in there."  
  
"That's it?" Alec asked incredulously.  
  
"Well... yeah! The house is haunted you know?" Iker pointed out.  
  
Max and Alec glanced at each other and tried to keep a straight face.  
  
"Ok, let's do it!" Max said.  
  
"Great. You two go inside and we'll lock the door. We'll come and get you tomorrow morning."  
  
*************  
  
Logan had given up on the codes and instead tried to concentrate on hacking into the surveillance system but even the great Eyes Only had rough days.  
  
He groaned when yet another "insert password" window popped up.  
  
"This is impossible, I can't tap into a genius's mind!" Logan hit his keyboard in frustration causing the file that Alec had given him called OPC to pop up.  
  
The first combination of letters and numbers made a light bulb go on in Logan's head.  
  
He typed the first seven digits into the password space and hit enter.  
  
The image on the screen changed suddenly to display a list of locations and a big title that read "Off Property Cameras."  
  
"Woah!" Logan leaned back on his chair, there seemed to be a camera for every place where a teenager could possibly hang out. He chose the first location and entered the next seven digits on the list into the password space.  
  
"The coffee place." Logan raised his eyebrows. Even though it was late a few teenagers were still hanging around. The video had no audio but Logan had a feeling that he could find the audio for those images somewhere else.  
  
*************  
  
"So what the hell are we going to do all night?" Max sat down on a dust covered chair.  
  
"Sleep. I'm really tired." Alec stretched and offered his hand to her "Come on, let's go look around. Maybe we'll find a place to crash."  
  
Max took his hand and stood up. She walked ahead of him, exploring the first floor with mild interest.  
  
"Alec, don't you think this is a little strange? The last part of our initiation is to spend a few hours in a 'haunted house.' I thought this kids would know better than to believe in ghosts.  
  
Alec nodded "I think you're right."  
  
Max groaned "Oh god, we were supposed to be home an hour ago! Log..."  
  
Alec pushed Max against a wall and pressed himself against her body. She was so surprised she didn't have a chance to react.  
  
"Alec! What the..."  
  
"There's a camera!" Alec whispered in her ear.  
  
Max lowered her head so that her forehead was resting on his shoulder and asked "Where?"  
  
"Three o'clock but don't stare"  
  
Max looked around the room and she noticed the camera "Shit, do you think they can hear us too?"  
  
"We must assume they can. Now giggle and push me away." Alec whispered against her ear again.  
  
Max did as he told her, she pushed him away in a playful manner and giggled, straightening her clothes and hair before taking a hold of his hand and running up the stairs to explore the second floor.  
  
*************  
  
Logan came across seven cameras on the same location. He opened the first one and realized that it was an abandoned house.  
  
"That's strange, why would there be cameras on an dump like that?" He asked himself and opened the second camera.  
  
What he saw made him drop the glass of milk he was holding. Alec was pressing Max against a wall, he had his arms wrapped around her and instead of pushing him away Max was holding him closer and whispering something in his ear!"  
  
Logan staid frozen as he saw Max push Alec away weakly. He could tell she was laughing by the way her lips moved. Then she took Alec's hand and ran up a flight of stairs, going out of the camera's range.  
  
Even though Logan checked the other five cameras he couldn't find the transgenics anywhere. He spent the rest of the night looking through more files and wondering what they were doing alone in a big old house.  
  
*********************************** *********************************** ***********************************  
  
I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I swear I'll try to do it sooner.  
  
I know you're all wondering about the couple thing so I won't drag it out any longer but before I tell you which couple won I want you all to know that no matter what way you ship I'm pretty sure you'll like the ending of this story (which won't be for quite a few more chapters) If you like the story so far I would suggest you keep reading ;) There will be NO BASHING in this story.  
  
The votes were really one sided. (Thanks to Crash for helping me count. I love you honey!)  
  
And the winner (for over 130 votes) is.  
  
..  
  
.  
  
..  
  
.  
  
  
  
MAX/ALEC!!!!!  
  
Thank you all for your votes, M/A will be the final couple on this story (In case you want to know, the ending is already written and that's why I can say that I believe most people will like it.)  
  
Thanks again, I hope I can get the next chapter done soon.  
  
Please be kind and review! 


	10. The House

HIGHSCHOOL MISSIONS  
Chapter 10  
THE HOUSE  
_______________________________________________  
  
Alec pushed Max against a wall and pressed himself against her body. She was so surprised she didn't have a chance to react.  
  
"Alec! What the..."  
  
"There's a camera!" Alec whispered in her ear.  
  
Max looked around the room and she noticed the camera "Shit, do you think they can hear us too?"  
  
"We must assume they can. Now giggle and push me away." Alec whispered against her ear again.  
  
Max did as he told her, she pushed him away in a playful manner and giggled, straightening her clothes and hair before taking a hold of his hand and running up the stairs to explore the second floor.  
  
*************  
  
What Logan saw made him drop the glass of milk he was holding. Alec was pressing Max against a wall, he had his arms wrapped around her and instead of pushing him away Max was holding him closer and whispering something in his ear!  
  
Logan staid frozen as he saw Max push Alec away weakly. He could tell she was laughing by the way her lips moved. Then she took Alec's hand and ran up a flight of stairs, going out of the camera's range.  
  
Even though Logan checked the other five cameras he couldn't find the transgenics anywhere. He spent the rest of the night looking through more files and wondering what they were doing alone in a big old house.  
  
________________________________________________   
Alec, still holding Max's hand, guided her through the small hall while he checked out every room for bugs. He finally found one that seemed clear and ducked into it.   
  
"So, what do you think our dare is here?" Max asked him.   
  
"I'm not sure, maybe they just want to know how we react to different situations." Alec sat down on the bed and took off his shoes.   
  
The room they were in was painted in peach, the drapes and bedspread were the same color as the walls. The four post bed was made of wood.  
  
"You know, if they are monitoring us then maybe it's not a very good idea for us to stay in the same bedroom." Max looked around suspiciously.   
  
"Max, wee live together! I really don't think they'll mind." Alec took off his shirt.   
  
"Alec what the hell are you doing?" Max frowned.   
  
"Getting ready for bed" Alec stated.  
  
"How can you even think about sleeping? They are watching us! This is some kind of test!"   
  
"Well there's nothing we can do about it and to be honest I'm really tired and I know you are too. That music is really screwing with our bodies" Alec said referring to the classical music that was constantly being played at school.   
  
"Well we still can't sleep in the same room. If they suspect anything between us they'll split us up, you know that!"   
  
"Max, there are no bugs in here! How would they know? Besides, I think it'd be far worse if you woke up screaming in the middle of the night and I had to run all the way over to the other room to comfort you."   
  
"I'm not planning on sleeping" Max yawned.   
  
Alec smiled "I don't think you'll be able to help it."   
  
Max yawned again and sat down on the bed to remove her shoes. Alec pulled off the covers and was just about to undo his pants when they heard a moan coming from somewhere on the first floor.   
  
Max and Alec shared a look before getting up from the bed and walking downstairs slowly, fists raised and ready for combat.   
  
They moved gracefully through the house, checking every room without even exchanging a word. Once they had gone through the first and second floor they went back to the clean room and tried to relax.   
  
"You know, the kids probably have some kind of sound system in the house designed to scare us. They DID mention this place was 'haunted'" Max reminded Alec.   
  
"Yeah, you're probably right." Alec took his pants off and dove under the covers while Max did the same. She laid besides him, facing away from him wearing her T-shirt and undies.   
  
She had just closed her eyes when they heard a scream. This time the noise came from the attic.   
  
"You know, this is ridiculous. I'm not even gonna get up." Alec buried his head on the pillow and tried to drown away the scream.   
  
"Don't you think it'll look a little suspicious if we just ignore the noises?" Max sat up.   
  
"Maybe it's what they want Max, maybe they want us to be smart enough to realize they are just trying to scare us." Alec yawned again and rubbed his eyes in a childlike way that made Max smile.   
  
"I'm gonna take a look around the hall, just in case" She stood up and walked slowly to the door.   
  
"Hey Max"   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Put some clothes on."   
  
Max looked down at herself and sighed, she grabbed her pants and slipped them on quickly before leaving the room.   
  
The hall was empty as she knew it'd be. She was about to go back to Alec when she felt the sudden urge to check downstairs too. She walked down the stairs without making any noise and looked around. Finding nothing she rolled her eyes and turned back to the stairs. And she froze.   
  
She didn't know weather to run upstairs or just call for Alec. She decided on the first one and, being way more careful, she glided through the floor until she found herself in the bedroom.   
  
"Alec!" She whispered urgently   
  
"Wuf?" He responded, his voice muffled by the pillow.   
  
"There's someone in the house with us."   
  
Alec raised his head to look at her "Are you sure?"   
  
"Would I be telling you if I wasn't?" Max snapped.   
  
Alec raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain.   
  
"I found this on the stairs. We didn't miss it the first two times we went up and down, we couldn't have."   
  
Max handed Alec an old looking, folded piece of paper.   
  
"Did you see this going down or up?" Alec sat up.   
  
"Up, meaning someone was really close to me and I never even noticed."   
  
Alec, clearly more alert and somewhat preoccupied shook his head "That's impossible Max, you would have sensed it! You're not that careless!"   
  
"I know that Alec but still I didn't hear, feel or see anyone."   
  
Alec looked down at the note "Did you read it?"   
  
Max shook her head   
  
Alec unfolded the piece of paper slowly, as if expecting it to blow up or something.   
  
"What does it say?" Max asked   
  
Alec cleared his throat "Your challenge for tonight is to find the three portraits of the first owner of this house. His portraits are the only ones with a black background. Once you find them take them downstairs. Be ready to leave the house at 7:00 AM."   
  
Max groaned "This is going to take a while."   
  
"Maybe not, I saw one of them hanging over the fireplace downstairs."   
  
"Oh yeah! Well that leaves two. We better start looking."   
  
Alec got dressed while Max searched the rest of the second floor. She didn't find anything in any of the bedrooms.   
  
"I think we should go up to the attic." Alec suggested.   
  
The two transgenics found the staircase that lead to the attic. They had to go through a small, rusty door to get to it but once they got upstairs the first thing they saw was the second painting.   
  
"Am I imagining things or is this whole thing just a little too easy?"   
  
Alec shrugged "Let's just find the other one and get this over with."   
  
They looked around the attic some more, not really expecting to find anything.   
  
Max tried to move a trunk so that she could look behind it but couldn't. She knelt down and frowned. "Alec."   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Did you notice anything strange about the furniture here?"   
  
Alec frowned "Like what?"   
  
"It's nailed to the floor. All of it."   
  
Alec tried to move a chair close to him and raised an eyebrow "That's strange. What do you think it means?"   
  
Max shrugged "Beat's me. Oh hey look! Another staircase!"   
  
"Great! I'm getting sick of all this dust."   
  
"Wait!" Max frowned "I thought we were in the attic."   
  
"We are. There are only three floors in this house without counting the basement if there even is one. I counted the windows."   
  
"Then why is this staircase going up?"   
  
Alec ran to Max's side "This just keeps getting better and better. Come on, let's find out."   
  
The steps were wide and numerous, the staircase had solid walls on either side and no light. Once their night vision kicked in the two X-5s noticed that the walls were made out of concrete and they seemed to be really thick.   
  
They emerged to a dusty room and found a portrait with a black background right in front of them.   
  
"Oh hey, we found the third one!" Max smiled.   
  
"No, we found the second one."   
  
Max frowned "What do you mean?"   
  
"Look around, we're back in the attic."   
  
"That's impossible! We were walking up! How could we possibly end up in the same place?" But as Max scanned the room she realized that Alec was right, they were back in the attic.   
  
"What the fuck?" She whispered   
  
Alec ran a hand through his hair "I'm as confused as a baby in a topless bar, Max"   
  
Max shook her head "We'll figure this out later. For now let's just take the painting and go."   
  
"No argument here!" Alec grabbed the ugly portrait by the frame and followed Max down the stairs.   
  
Once they reached the second floor they looked into every room again. They started in the master bedroom. As far as Alec could tell the room was bugged.   
  
He looked under the huge bed while Max checked behind the paintings in the room.   
  
"This is useless Alec! We've checked here already!" Max leaned her head against the wooden wall and yelped.   
  
Alec bumped his head against the bed at the sudden noise. "Shit!"   
  
He sat up and frowned, Max was not in the room anymore.   
  
"MJ?" He called out slowly, then again a little bit more desperately "MJ?!"   
  
"Alec?" Her muffled voice came from behind the wall she had just leaned against.   
  
"Max! Where the hell are you?" He whispered urgently.   
  
"Over here, behind the wall with the painting of the old lady."   
  
"And how the hell did you get there?" Alec didn't know weather to laugh or worry.   
  
"No clue but can we PLEASE concentrate on getting me out?"   
  
Alec ran his fingertips along the wood looking for any cracks or imperfections. "Are you in a room or just pressed against the wall?"   
  
Max looked around and frowned "It's an office or something like that... oh hey! Here's the other painting! Or at least I think it is, it's pitch black in here and I can't see the background of the damn thing."   
  
Alec knew even her night vision wouldn't help her with that. "Well, can you remember what you were doing when... this.... happened?"   
  
"I was leaning against the wall, beside the painting."   
  
Alec pressed his hand against the spot that Max indicated and the wall swung open. Surprised, Alec let go of the wall and it slammed back into place instantly.   
  
"Alec!" Max yelped again.   
  
"Sorry, I think I have to keep pressing for this to work."   
  
He did that and the wall moved slowly until it was completely pushed into the "office"   
  
Max took the painting and both transgenics ran out of the small room. It closed perfectly behind them.   
  
Without exchanging a word they walked downstairs and placed the two portraits next to the other one. They walked back to the clean room and closed the door behind them.   
  
"Ok, now what the fuck was that?" Max plopped down on the bed.   
  
"My guess is a secret office."   
  
Max threw a shoe at Alec, which he ducked easily.   
  
"Smartass." Max grumbled under her breath.   
  
"That's Smart-ALEC for you missy."   
  
Max thought about throwing the other shoe at him but knew it would do no good.   
  
"There's something wrong here, something doesn't fit."   
  
"Gee, you think Max?" Alec removed his pants and shirt and crawled back into bed.   
  
"How can you even think about sleeping after everything that just happened? Someone could be in here with us at this very moment!" Max scolded him.   
  
"No way, I'd hear their breathing Max."   
  
"Well I didn't hear anything downstairs and yet someone sneaked around me and placed the note at the stairs!"   
  
"Well yeah but you weren't looking or expecting anyone to be there."   
  
Max opened her mouth to reply and closed it again, he had a point.   
  
"Look, if you want to stay up and over think this be my guest. Just wake me up when it's time to leave ok?"   
  
Alec rolled over to his side of the bed and closed his eyes.   
  
Max sighed and tried to replay everything that had happened that night.   
  
____________________________________   
  
At quarter to seven max prodded Alec awake. he groaned and complained but sat up and got dressed anyway.   
  
"Did you sleep at all Max?" He asked while tying his sneakers.   
  
"No." Max answered simply and Alec groaned "If you bitch all day about your lack of sleep I swear I'm gonna run you over with my hot ride."   
  
Max stuck out her tongue at him and walked out of the room while he yelled "Oh real mature Max!" and followed her close behind.   
  
"Shut up, they are opening the door!" Max grabbed Alec's arm and practically flew down the stairs.   
  
"Anxious to get out of here?" Alec raised an eyebrow.   
  
"What can I say? I want a hot bath."   
  
When they reached the front door they found the whole elite standing there, waiting for them.   
  
"I see you've found the paintings. All three of them." Dakareth spoke.   
  
Max shrugged "What? Like it was hard?"   
  
"Only one of us had ever been able to do that," Iker nodded in Dak's direction "well... and now you I guess."   
  
Dakareth smiled and spoke again "Welcome, to the elite."   
  
___________________________________   
  
"Logan!" Max yelled as soon as she walked through the door.   
  
"Up here!" He yelled back and the two transgenics thundered up the stairs to the kitchen.   
  
"Logan! We've got so much to tell you man!" Alec plopped down on a stool and started wolfing down the plate of oatmeal that Logan offered him.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
Max told him everything. The noises, the stairs, the secret room...   
  
Logan was sitting in front of his computer in a flash, looking for answers to the X5s' questions.   
  
"Bingo!" He said after about half an our of research.   
  
"What?" Max and Alec moved from the breakfast bar to the couch and listened while Logan spoke.   
  
"The house was built in 1979 by a man named Alfred Young, he was a very wealthy man, had his own business, something to do with the internet. He was 40 when he married a young girl from Chicago and brought her here. They had three sons, all healthy. The wife died of cancer in 1987, Young never remarried, one of the sons became a doctor, the other one... something with the military and the third a lawyer. The middle son, the military one, dissapeared around the year 2005. Young died of a heart attack... 1996. The house was sold in... 1996, right after the old man died."   
  
The room became silent as the transgenics waited for Logan to give them some more information. When it became evident that they weren't going to get anything else Alec sighed.   
  
"Well, that was about as useless as the pope's testicles."   
  
Max snapped her head around to look at him and he just shrugged.   
  
"Well that's all I have for now." Logan rubbed his temples "I'll keep looking and let you know. Don't you two have something to do today?"   
  
"Yeah, take a bath." Max stretched and walked downstairs but Alec staid put.   
  
Logan stared pointedly at him until he sighed again and got up "I guess I could use a nap or something." Alec followed Max, leaving Logan to work by himself.   
___________________________________________   
Alec couldn't even think about sleeping so instead he waltzed into the bathroom while Max was taking her hot bath.   
  
"Alec! What the hell..."   
  
"Oh give it a rest Max, I know you don't care much for privacy anymore." Alec plopped down on the closed toilet and rested his bare feet on the edge of the tub.   
  
"Was there something you wanted?" Max raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Just the pleasure of your company Max."   
  
"I'd believe that if we didn't happen to spend almost every second of every day together."   
  
Alec thought about sticking his tongue out at her but decided against it thinking that being around teenagers so much was really getting to him.   
  
"Oh hey, I have something for you!" Alec remembered. He rushed out of the room only to run back in moments later holding a Six Flags bag.   
  
"What is it?" Max sat up a little.   
  
Alec smiled and reached inside the bag. He produced a short, black, silk robe with a little Marvin on the bottom.   
  
"Wow Alec, it's beautiful!" Max reached for it but Alec held it away   
  
"Don't touch it Max, you'll get it all soapy."   
  
Max looked down at her hands covered in bubbles and smiled. "That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you."   
  
Alec shrugged "I just thought you'd like it. I have a one just like it only longer."   
  
Max's smile broadened "Get out so that I can dry myself!" She instructed   
  
"Are you sure you don't want to spend some more time in the tub? I mean the robe will still be here in an hour Max, I'm not taking it back you know." Alec teased.   
  
"I'm sure, now get out!"   
  
Alec laughed and walked out the door closing it behind him but not before saying "I don't know why you even bother with modesty anymore woman." first.   
  
_________________________________________   
  
Later that night the transgenics were sitting on their couch watching TV and eating popcorn in their bathrobes. They had staid in and no one had called, plus Max was really tired.  
  
"I told you to get some sleep last night Max" Alec had the bowl of popcorn on his lap, his arm was hanging off the back of the couch comfortably.  
  
"Shh, I'm trying to watch a movie here!" Max whispered.  
  
"Max, even I've seen this movie a thousand times."  
  
"So? Ace Ventura is still fun."  
  
Alec laughed "Yeah yeah, whatever."  
  
They continued to watch the movie for a while. Alec felt Max's head resting on his shoulder and he looked down. Her eyes were closed and she seemed sound asleep.  
  
"Max, go to bed." He whispered.  
  
"No, I'm awake." She mumbled.  
  
Alec smiled and kissed her hair before turning back to the movie.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
"I don't know why I even bother but don't you guys know the meaning of the word ALARM CLOCK?!" Logan yelled from the top of the stairs. "You're going to be late! Again!"   
  
Alec, his face still buried in his pillow, grunted something that sounded like an 'I know' and went back to snoring lightly. Max didn't even bother with an answer.   
  
"You haven't heard the funky music for 2 days, you shouldn't be this tired."   
  
When he didn't get an answer from either transgenic Logan sighed "Well I can't wait for you two, there are waffles in the freezer. Please try to make it to school today."   
  
He got a reply from Max that kinda sounded like a 'Sure dad' so he shook his head and left the X5s alone.   
  
_________________________________________   
  
"Late, for the... what is it now... fifth time in a row?" The principal rubbed the tips of his fingers together as he leaned back on his chair.   
  
"I'm sorry sir, car trouble." Alec replied.   
  
"You know, there's a reason why we don't encourage new students to get cars."   
  
Max and Alec waited for the reason but it never came, apparently the principal didn't care to explain his reasons to the students.   
  
'It's starting to feel just like Manticore here.' Alec thought.   
  
"Well I'm warning you now you two, either you get a new alarm clock or you get a new school all right? I will not tolerate any more of this! And for god's sake, get some extracurricular activities! Don't you care at all about your future?"   
  
The transgenics didn't know weather to nod or shake their heads so they just stood still.   
  
The principal sighed and handed them each a piece of paper. "Tryouts for football and cheerleading are today, I expect to see you there."   
  
"Yes sir." Max and Alec replied. Force of habit.   
  
"Good. Now go to class and stay out of trouble."   
  
Alec held the door open for Max and there walked out of there calmly, like the nice little students they were expected to be.   
  
__________________________________________   
Alec sat through math class barely being able to keep his eyes open. He had gotten way too little sleep and too much stress over the past few days and he was exhausted. Professor James Watson had called on him a few times and he didn't look happy.   
  
"Mr. Cage let me ask you something, do you believe you know everything?" Mr. Watson asked after Alec had answered his fourth question with an 'uh?'   
  
Alec tried to keep his eyes from rolling as he answered "No Mr. Watson"   
  
"Well then Mr. Cage, would you mind paying attention here? I can assure you that pretty face of yours won't get you through EVERY problem in life."   
  
Alec had swallow his reply and wondered to himself why he hadn't just kept his first fake last name.   
  
Everything would have been fine if the teacher had just left it at that but Mr. Watson kept pushing. "You haven't heard a single word I've said since you got here have you? I'm sure you can't even think about how to start this problem on the board can you? You're just another..."   
  
Alec stood up then, he walked to the front of the room grabbed the piece of chalk from the teacher's hand and scribbled the number 38759.274982741 on the board before returning to his seat.   
  
The teacher looked a little startled. He grabbed his calculator and started punching in the numbers. After he was done he looked up and his eyes met Alec's.   
  
The hot transgenic shrugged.   
  
"Right... so anyway..."   
  
The teacher went back to his babbling and Iker turned around to face Alec.   
  
"Hey man, how the hell did you..."   
  
"I'm good with mental math."   
  
"Oh..." Iker turned back to the teacher, still looking a little confused.   
  
Alec took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was tired and could feel a headache coming which was altering his capabilities to make decisions.   
  
"Hey Iker, do you have any more of those pills?"   
  
_____________________________________   
  
Max had been drinking coffee like a madwoman all morning and only then it started to kick in. She walked to her Lit class with Professor Friedrish Meisher carrying her backpack in one hand and a latte in the other one.   
  
Suddenly she saw someone run past her really fast, almost throwing her off her feet.   
  
"Dak? Hey! What's the big rush?"   
  
"I have to catch the principal before he goes, I need to ask for permission to have the car wash!"   
  
"Car wash?" Max asked but Dakareth was already turning the corner.   
  
The young X5 shrugged and took a sip of her latte.   
  
_____________________________________   
  
Alec was just about to turn a corner when a blur in a skirt crashed into him. Alec just stood there but the little figure in uniform bounced right off his chest.   
  
"Oh man, are you ok?" Alec knelt down as the girl brushed the stream of black hair from her face.   
  
"Dak?"   
  
"Alec? My god your chest is solid!"   
  
Alec smiled "I work out. Now tell me, where the hell are you running to?"   
  
Dakareth glanced at her watch and shrugged "I was planning on catching the principal before he left for his meeting downtown but I guess I can forget about that now."   
  
Alec frowned "Why?"   
  
"Because he's very punctual... and I twisted my ankle." Dak pointed at her foot.   
  
"Oh damn. The school nurse should take a look at that."   
  
"What? No! I'm fine. I have some bandages at my place."   
  
Alec smiled "What are you going to do? Jump on one foot from here to your dorm room?"   
  
"Well... that WAS the plan."   
  
Alec shook his head and picked her up in his arms.   
  
Dak yelped "Alec, put me down right now!"   
  
"Aww come on, it's the least I can do."   
  
"I'm too heavy!"   
  
Alec glanced down at the petite, slim girl and laughed "Yeah right. Now stop complaining and tell me where your dorm is."   
  
______________________________________   
  
"I want you to read over this questions and think of the answers. Don't look them up, just think about them ok?" Logan was handing out some papers. When he reached Max he handed her the sheet upside down and she frowned. There was a note scribbled at the bottom of the page and it read "Got something to tell you, meet me in the hall after class."   
  
Max nodded and erased the note.   
  
Once class was over she waited for Logan outside his room.   
  
"So, what's up?" She asked him.   
  
"Do you know where Alec is?"   
  
Max glanced at her watch "Lab I guess. Why? What's wrong?"   
  
"I did some more checking on that house and found something interesting."   
  
Max frowned "What?"   
  
"Blueprints. Remember how you said you went up some stairs and ended up on the same place?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Well that's because the attic is slanted and the steps are wide and not too tall."   
  
Max shrugged "So the guy who made the house was a freak."   
  
Logan leaned against the wall and whispered "There might be more than that to this. That office you fell into? There's something weird about it."   
  
"The way I figure it the guy wanted to hide from someone, probably the wife."   
  
Logan shook his head "The office door has to be opened by two people and it only opens from the outside."   
  
Max shook her head "I opened it by myself."  
  
"Yes, and you fell in. You need to keep contact with the door and push it in at the same time in order to get in. For someone to do that without falling on their butts like you did it would take two, someone to press on it and someone to hold it open while the other person walks in."  
  
"I don't really understand I mean... Alec did it by himself."  
  
"Alec had to blur in order to keep the door from slamming shut on his face."  
  
Max crossed her arms "What are you saying?"   
  
"I'm saying this house is hiding something. I need you guys to go back in there and find out what."   
  
____________________________________   
  
Max had been looking for Alec all over the school and so far nothing. "He sure knows how to disappear when I need him." she whispered to herself.   
  
"Who?"   
  
Max jumped and turned around to find Dave, Dade and Iker behind her.   
  
"Alec... I... wanted to ask him if... we're going home to change before the tryouts!" She answered quickly.   
  
"Oh, well I heard he's with Dak." Iker shrugged.   
  
"Ok... and where the hell is Dak?"   
  
"In her room."   
  
"You mean her classroom?"   
  
"No, I mean her dorm room."   
  
"Oh..." Max frowned. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other "Well... when they come back will you please tell Alec that I'm looking for him?"   
  
"Sure." Dave smiled at her.   
  
"Thanks." She said before walking away. She could feel a big headache coming and needed to find someplace quiet to rest for a little while.   
  
________________________________   
  
"Sasha?" Logan knocked on the lab door.   
  
"Oh hey Mr. Cale! Come on in!" Sasha was standing next to a microscope with a sour look on her face.   
  
"What's up? Is everything ok?"   
  
"Yeah, it's just the cure didn't work."   
  
"Oh." Logan tried not to look too disappointed "That's ok, it was a really hard assignment."   
  
"Oh no, I'm not giving up yet! I know exactly how to fix it! Only it might take a couple of days."   
  
Logan smiled "Take your time, just as long as it works." He was thinking about that video, the one of the house. For some reason he had decided not to tell Max and Alec about what he had seen. It was not that he wanted to hold the information from them, he just didn't feel like telling them yet. He wanted to have the cure first so that he would at least have a fighting chance, just in case anything had happened.   
  
______________________________________   
  
Max ran into Alec during a break, he was sitting at the shadow of a huge tree next to the coffee house.   
  
"So, you and Dak uh? Were you planning on telling me about this you stud?" Max kidded and slapped his shoulder playfully.   
  
"Give it a rest Max, nothing happened and you know it."   
  
"Oh is that what I know?" Max was in no mood to be playful but for some strange reason she felt like she had to be.   
  
Alec closed his eyes and rested the back of his head against the trunk of the three "Just stop Max ok? Stop."   
  
"Geez, what's wrong with you? Did the aliens forget to remove your anal probe?"   
  
That managed to get a chuckle out of Alec "No, I just have a headache the size of Texas."   
  
Max sighed "You too uh?"   
  
Alec opened his eyes and looked at her "Damn Max, it can't be normal for both of us to have identical headaches."   
  
"Well I wouldn't say identical," Max dropped her backpack and sat down next to him "mine is at least the size of Brazil."   
  
Alec smiled and tugged on her hand until her head was resting on his lap, then he ran a hand though her hair and she closed her eyes.   
  
"What could probably be causing this headaches?" He wondered out loud.   
  
"Maybe it's the creepy music, we know it could happen." Max mumbled, Alec's gentle hand soothing her pain and worries.   
  
Alec looked around and smiled "You know, that boy has been staring at you ever since you got here."   
  
Max opened her eyes and saw Tom sitting by himself on a booth in the coffee house, looking at her.   
  
"Oh him? He's name is Todd... or Tom... something with a T. We have a class together."   
  
"Well Max, he seems really interested in you."   
  
She rolled around to look at Alec and laughed "He's a geek!"   
  
"So? You're dating their king!"   
  
Max's eyes opened wide and Alec cringed "I can't believe I said that out loud. Hit me, I deserve it for calling your star crossed lover a geek."   
  
Max laughed and instead of hitting him she gave him a quick, soft peck on the lips.   
  
"I need to go, I'm meeting Steph in the cafeteria. I'll see you later!" She stood up and walked away, leaving Alec there smiling and looking stunned. "Oh, and he's NOT a geek." She tossed the remark over her shoulder.   
  
Neither one of them noticed Tom, who was still watching from inside the coffee house.   
___________________________________________  
The next chapter will come along sooner, the sexual tension and love triangle are about to get a little more intense (and the plot will thicken ;))  
  
If anyone is interested in reading a smut fic I wrote a little while ago It's called Euphoria, I can't post it at FF.net because... well because it's smut! And it's a foursome (as in four people together having sex at the same time) It's Max/Alec/Sam/Ben and you can find it either at nunswithpens or gumbootmafia.  
  
Thanks to everyone who helped me with this chapter, I really am having a bad English day ;) And special thanks to my boy (even if he's not going to read this for a couple of weeks ;)) 


	11. Senses

Senses  
  
__________________________________  
  
Alec was still rubbing his lips minutes after Max had left his side.  
  
"Hey, you okay?"  
  
He looked up and frowned at the petite girl staring down at him.  
  
"Dak, you shouldn't be on your feet."  
  
She shrugged and tossed her long hair back. "I had to, I need to set things up for the cheerleader tryouts which we all know are totally pointless but still need to be done."  
  
Alec smiled "Hey, who knows? You might find someone better than MJ!"  
  
Dak rolled her eyes "You know we won't. I've seen what she can do in gym. She has perfect aim, previous martial arts training and an incredible coordination, just like you."  
  
Alec laughed "My coordination sucks, just the other day I fell off the couch."  
  
"That's just because you got tangled in the sheets." Dakareth laughed. "Anyways, I have to go now. I'll see you soon."  
  
She was about to walk away when Alec stopped her.  
  
"Hey Dak?"  
  
"Hum?"  
  
"Has anyone ever given you an innocent kiss?"  
  
The dark haired beauty frowned "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean... A kiss that comes out of nowhere given to you by someone that you know is nothing more than your friend?"  
  
Dak smiled softly "We call them angel kisses Alec."  
  
"Oh... so it's normal?"  
  
"Perfectly normal. Just try not to kiss MJ at school, we know it's innocent but other people might not see it that way and they could split you guys up."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks"  
  
Dak turned to leave again and then stopped once more. "Oh and just in case I don't get to see your tryouts, remember there's a meeting tonight at the old house. Be there at eight."  
  
"Will do." Alec smiled and watched Dak leave before rubbing his lips softly again.  
  
***************************  
  
Max made her way to the girl's locker room and changed into sweats for her cheerleader tryouts. She sat down on a bench and groaned, her headache had been getting steadily worse.  
  
"MJ? Are you in here? We're starting in a few minutes!" Nikki rushed into the locker room and looked around for Max.  
  
"I'm here! I'll be out in a sec!" Max yelled back and massaged her temples.  
  
"Ok, we'll get your music started!"  
  
"My what?" Max whispered. Then she groaned when she realized she was expected to do a dance routine.  
  
"Could this day get any worse?" She asked herself, then she whacked her forehead with her hand.  
  
Sir Mix a Lot, Baby got back  
  
It just had  
  
***************************  
  
Her dance routine had consisted of many amazing moves and nothing else. She bedazzled the elite with her skills and flexibility when, in truth, her headache greatly prevented her from doing her best.  
  
She decided to check out Alec's tryouts and sat down on the bleachers by herself while the rest of the female part of the elite changed into their street clothes in the locker room.  
  
Alec was proving his strength by smashing his shoulder against a dummy again and again. There were several guys next to him doing the same thing but there was no doubt in anyone's minds as to who was the best male on the field.  
  
To everyone else he was magnificent, a human representation of strength and power but Max could see something that no one else could. His head was hanging unnecessarily low, something that wasn't common for him. Alec was an expert at displaying his strength with his head up high.  
  
Max wondered if maybe, just maybe his headache was as bad as hers.  
  
The sun seemed to be worsening Max's condition so she left the field and went back to the locker room planning on taking a shower before leaving. She was halfway across the gym when her sensitive ears picked up a conversation going on inside the locker room and she stopped to listen.  
  
"... And that back flip was flawless! She just seemed to be flying through the air!"  
  
"I know! It was as if her feet never touched the ground! I wonder where she learned all that!"  
  
Max decided to interrupt the little conversation and walked into the stuffy room saying "Gymnastics! I've taken lessons since..."  
  
She frowned, the room was empty but she could still hear the girl's voices. She walked all the way through and opened the door that led to the hall. There, just about to walk around the corner, were Amanda and Ashley, still talking about her.  
  
Max found this really strange but decided not to dwell on it, her head felt as if it were about to split in half.  
  
She half stumbled, half walked over to the showers, undressing as she went. She sat down on the tiled floor, still wearing her underwear and turned on the shower. Hot water hit her full blast and she felt better right away, just a little bit better.  
  
*******************  
  
Alec had been standing outside the girl's locker room for fifteen minutes. He was pretty sure Max wouldn't have left without him, since he had the car keys. He just hoped she hadn't asked for a lift because he had a hideous headache and didn't feel like driving... or waiting around for that matter.  
  
"MJ?" He pushed the door open slowly and frowned at the trail of clothes that seemed to lead to the showers.  
  
"Max? Are you in here?"  
  
The room seemed deserted so Alec followed Max's workout clothes to the showers and gasped. She was sitting on the floor, her head against the tiles, her eyes closed.  
  
"Max! Are you ok? Max!" Alec rushed to her and shook her gently.  
  
Max moaned "Alec, go away."  
  
He sighed in relief "Max! For god's sake, I thought something had happened to you!"  
  
"I just fell asleep, my monster headache got worse." Max's groggy voice and half open eyes gave her the appearance of being drugged.  
  
"How are you feeling now?" Alec asked gently and tossed her a towel.  
  
"Better, actually."  
  
"Good. Come on, get dressed. I'll drive us home."  
  
He turned around while she dressed and concentrated hard on pushing his own discomfort aside.  
  
*******************  
  
The moment the two transgenics walked though the basement door they winced and groaned.  
  
"What the fuck is Logan cooking up there? Feet?" Alec covered his nose with his hands.  
  
Max closed her eyes and moaned "It smells like your socks after gym class!"  
  
Alec glared at her though his covered face and Max shrugged.  
  
The walked up the stairs and opened the door, the smell seemed even more intense and disgusting from there.  
  
"Oh hi guys, I didn't hear you come in." Logan smiled at them from behind the kitchen counter.  
  
"Logan, my man, what the hell do you have in that pot of yours? A chopped up cadaver?"  
  
Logan frowned "It's just Mac and Cheese, I didn't have time to make anything else..."  
  
"Mac and cheese are not supposed to be done with Blue Cheese! Logan, how can you stand the smell?" Max sat down on a chair and covered her nose just as Alec had done.  
  
"Blue... What the hell are you two talking about? It's regular old Mac n' Cheese! See? Little blue box and everything." Logan pointed at the box resting on the counter.  
  
"Did you check the expiration date on that cuz... Damn!" Alec shook his head and wrinkled his nose "I'm going downstairs to take a bath. You should get changed Max, we have to be at that elite's meeting in an hour."  
  
"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that!"  
  
"How could you? We'll be picking new dares tonight remember?"  
  
Max groaned and was about to leave the kitchen when her eye caught Logan's. He looked as if he wanted to tell her something.  
  
"I'll go down in a minute." Max said and Alec left in a hurry, closing the basement door behind him.  
  
Max held her breath and smiled at Logan. She felt as if she hardly ever spent time with him anymore but the smell was so gross she truthfully couldn't wait to be downstairs with Alec.  
  
"So..." She choked out.  
  
"...So"  
  
Logan wanted to tell her what he'd seen in the surveillance camera, he wanted to ask her what had been going on at the house with Alec but he didn't want her to feel as if he didn't trust her. While this inner conflict was taking place he noticed how Max's head rested on her hand and how she seemed to be in some sort of pain.  
  
"Is the cheese smell really that bad? Because I can't smell a thing... maybe there's something wrong with me..."  
  
"Oh no no, I just have a headache." Max rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes.  
  
"Have you taken any aspirin?"  
  
"No, I don't know if I should. It might screw me up worse than I already am."  
  
Logan was concerned, Max could see it on his face "It's probably because of the brainwash thingie they are trying to pull with the stupid music they just won't stop playing..."  
  
"Yeah, that's probably it. I'm still waiting to hear from Sebastian on that flu vaccine too."  
  
Max wanted to stay and chat with Logan, she really did, but the smell and the pain were driving her insane.  
  
"I'm just gonna... go downstairs and take a quick nap before the meeting." She said softly.  
  
"Yeah, you should probably do that."  
  
Logan watched her back until she closed the basement door softly behind her, then he leaned over his pot of mac and cheese and sniffed. It smelled perfectly normal to him.  
  
********************  
  
Alec drove them to the woods fast and recklessly... or at least that's how it would look like for any normal person. Max, for one, was relaxed and glad to feel the cool air on her face.  
  
Alec noticed she had her eyes closed "Hey, how's your headache?" He asked.  
  
"Not as bad as it was a few hours ago, I think that nap did me some good."  
  
"I'm glad." Alec parked the car and got out. The two transgenics had to walk a couple of miles to the old mansion.  
  
Everyone else was already there when they arrived.  
  
"Glad you could join us!" Dak winked at them.  
  
"Alec my man! Come with us to the shed! Luke has a new computer program and it's so rad!" Dave guided Alec away and left Max with the girls.  
  
"Boys and their toys. Let's go warm up by the fire." Ashley hooked arms with Max and the girls marched over to the inviting flames. Steph handed out marshmallows and sticks and they sat down on some logs to talk.  
  
"So MJ, what bathing suit are you going to use for the car wash this saturday?"  
  
"Car wash?" Max frowned.  
  
"Yeah, we have to raise founds for the party! It's just like... two weeks away MJ!" Amanda was playing with her long, blonde hair and acting as if Max not knowing about the party was some kind of sin.  
  
"Oh yeah! The party!" Max smiled at them "How could I forget?"  
  
"Girls! You should come see this! Something's happening at the strip club!" Iker yelled at them from the shed.  
  
The girls scrambled to HQ's and Max followed suit but not before noticing the black top hat resting next to the fire. They would be taking their dares from it in a while but she couldn't help but notice that it was empty.  
  
Max had never been inside the shed before. She had to contain a gasp of surprise when she entered. The place looked hideous from outside but inside it was full of electronic devices, some of them looked quite expensive. Several chairs surrounded the various monitors, a bed in the corner forced her to believe the elite must take turns to do surveillance.  
  
She snapped out of her shock induced trance when Iker pointed to a particularly large screen. There seemed to be a fight at the strip club where Max had done her initiation.  
  
"Excuse my ignorance but why is a fight between a bunch of drunk idiots important to us?" Max asked.  
  
"The drunk idiot who started the fight goes to our school, only he's not drunk and he's really not an idiot either. He just walked in and picked a fight with that other guy." Sean pointed the guy out.  
  
"Do we know why?" Dakareth leaned closer to the screen as if trying to analyze every single detail.  
  
"Nope, like I said, the guy just walked in."  
  
Max took her eyes off the fistfight for a moment to notice what was going on behind the fighters. Girls cladded in leather thongs and skimpy bras were running around the place, some covering their naked breasts, other not even bothering. She closed her eyes and remembered the unpleasant evening of her initiation. Her headache was back and it seemed worse than ever.  
  
"I think I need some air." Max backed out of the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
The elite just stared first at the closed door, then at Alec.  
  
"I thought she wasn't squeamish." Nikki said.  
  
"She's not... she just hasn't been feeling very well lately." Alec turned her attention back to the screen, longing to go after Max but not wanting to rise suspicion.  
  
**********************  
  
Max walked back to the fire, deep in thought. It was only until she was mere feet away that she noticed the small figure sitting on a log.  
  
"Ashley?"  
  
The blonde jumped and turned around, hiding something behind her back.  
  
"MJ! I didn't hear you!"  
  
"Soft walker. What are you doing?"  
  
Ashley straightened her tight baby blue shirt and tucked her curly hair behind her ear "Nothing."  
  
Max raised an eyebrow  
  
"Oh fine, you've probably figured it out already." Ashley showed Max the hat which now contained 14 little pieces of paper.  
  
"You're the one who comes up with the dares?"  
  
"Gosh no! I can't take credit for that! I do have a source who... gives me ideas so to speak"  
  
Max frowned.  
  
"Hum... I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this. The dares are supposed to be anonymous you know..."  
  
"Oh sure! I won't tell!" Max gave Ashley a fake smile and the blonde smiled back.  
  
"We should get back to the shed before anyone misses us." Ashley put down the hat.  
  
"Yeah, we probably should."  
  
Max followed her back to the shed, trying hard to figure out who Amanda's source might be.  
  
***********************  
  
Half an hour later the group was gathered around the fire again, ready to take their dares out of the hat.  
  
Dak smiled when she got hers "Bungee jumping." She announced with delight.  
  
"Me too." Max tried hard not to smile, bungee she could handle.  
  
Alec laughed when he read his "Drink a whole bottle of tequila? Sure, why the hell not."  
  
Max shook her head, she knew he could take far more than that. He did it almost every weekend!  
  
They chose dates for their dares, friday for Max, Dak, Sean and Ashley, Saturday for Alec, Luke, Nikki and Melissa. Iker, Leo, Dave, Dade, Amanda and Steph had a different dare to do on wednesday. Then the teenagers said their goodbyes and left.  
  
As soon as Alec had driven away from the woods Max told him what Ashley had said.  
  
"So, who do you think her source might be?" Alec asked her.  
  
"Well it's either a teacher or a geek, I don't think she could get those ideas from anywhere else."  
  
Alec frowned "Well, I don't think a teacher could be telling her anything. After all, Logan's right. The teachers are just normal people, otherwise he wouldn't have been hired."  
  
"Yeah but still, why would a geek tell her which dares to give us?"  
  
Alec was silent for a few moments, then he shrugged "I don't know Max, and my head is still killing me so if you don't mind I think I'll save the thinking until tomorrow."  
  
"Fine." Max snapped but deep down she was glad he'd given her a reason to stop thinking about the whole thing herself.  
  
When they got home they heard Logan talking on the phone, apparently to Sebastian.  
  
Both transgenics ran up the stairs and Max threw the basement door open. She'd heard Logan so clearly she expected him to be right on the other side of the door but they found him in the living room, talking on his cell.  
  
"Ok, so that could affect anything? Yes, I understand. I'll tell them and let you know. Thanks Sebastian."  
  
Logan hung up and took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and then glanced up at the transgenics.  
  
"Well?" Max asked impatiently.  
  
"Gene therapy, that thing that they are injecting into your system is some kind of gene therapy, it's not like anything Sebastian has ever seen so he's not sure of what exactly they are trying to improve."  
  
"So it could be anything?" Alec sat down on the couch.  
  
Logan nodded "He thinks we'll find out soon enough, the effects should start to show sometime soon. In fact, he thinks that's why you guys have such strong headaches."  
  
Max sat down next to Alec "Give us some good news?" She pleaded.  
  
"Well... we don't know if this is good or bad but there IS something..."  
  
"What?" Alec leaned forward  
  
"We're not sure what will happen, the first dose, the one you already took, will have little effect on you. After all it was only the first, but we think your system might react differently than everyone elses."  
  
"Different how?"  
  
"Well the changes might not stick, or your organs might overload and shut down, or... they could mutate."  
  
Max stared at him in horror "What do you mean shut down or mutate?!"  
  
"There's nothing we can do now but wait Max, that thing is already in your body. If your organs shut down they'll start back up after they've had a chance to eliminate the toxins. Let's just hope they're not trying to enhance your heart and lungs, otherwise we'd have to hook you guys up to machines. If they mutate..."  
  
Alec shook his head and stood up "This is bizarre! It's dangerous and insane! We can't put our lives at risk like that! Who's gonna save this kids if we turn into useless broccolis?"  
  
"You won't turn into broccoli! The effects of the first injection were not enough to cause permanent damage! We'll just have to ride this one out and keep you from taking another dosage."  
  
Max sighed and closed her eyes and stood up "I'm going to bed, this is too much."  
  
Alec stood up too "Wait! Logan, tonight we found out who's been writing the dares. It's Ashley, only she says she has a source."  
  
"A source? You think it's someone from school?"  
  
"Probably. We were thinking either a teacher or a geek."  
  
Logan rubbed his temples "Well it can't be a teacher, we know for a fact that they are not involved. It's probably a geek."  
  
"That's what Alec said. We'll keep a close look on her, see who she talks to."  
  
Logan nodded and Max headed downstairs, followed by Alec.  
  
She changed into her pajamas and Alec stripped down to his boxers. Max got into bed and he did the same.  
  
She glanced at him from her bed, he tossed around restlessly for a few minutes.  
  
"Your head still hurts doesn't it?" She whispered.  
  
"Yeah well, at least now we know why." He tossed the covers aside and pressed a pillow against his face.  
  
Max closed her own eyes and tried to think of anything but the pain.  
  
******************  
  
Max knew she'd had a rough night even before she opened her eyes. She could feel a warm body next to hers. She blinked a few times and moaned, her headache was back and worse than ever.  
  
"It's ok Max, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep." Alec mumbled and held her a little closer.  
  
"A nightmare? I wish. Get up Alec, and get off me! It's too hot for spooning." Max sat up and rolled Alec away from her. He groaned and sat up as well.  
  
"It really is hotter than usual in here." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and stood up. "Morning old man." He waved at Logan on his way to the bathroom.  
  
Max rested her head on the headboard and smiled weakly at Logan, who was standing at the top of the stairs. "Do we have any aspirin?"  
  
"I thought you didn't want anything."  
  
"I'm done playing martyr, my head is killing me. Hand over the meds."  
  
Logan smiled, walked down the stairs and handed her a full bottle. Max swallowed a couple of pills dry and closed her eyes.  
  
"How did Alec end up in my bed anyway? I didn't even realize he was there until I woke up."  
  
"Your moans woke him up, he couldn't go back to sleep until you quieted down."  
  
"Oh, that makes sense. Hey, how the hell did you know that?" Max frowned.  
  
"I heard you and came down to check on you."  
  
"You heard me moaning?"  
  
"I was awake in the living room. I can't seem to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time these days."  
  
Max drew her knees to her chest and sighed "Logan, why am I the only one who has nightmares?"  
  
He sat down on the bed next to her and answered in a soft voice "I don't think you're the only one, Max. Alec just doesn't talk on his sleep."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"I've seen him, tossing and turning. He wakes up on his own eventually."  
  
Alec came out of the bathroom wearing only his boxers and dripping wet. He pulled on his pants and transferred something that looked like a golden chain from the pocket of the muddy pants he'd been wearing the night before to the one he was wearing then and looked around his closet for a clean shirt.  
  
Max stood up, careful not to touch Logan, and went to take a quick cold shower. The icy water helped her headache a little and she relaxed for a few minutes before getting dressed and ready for school.  
  
**********************  
  
Max went up for breakfast a few minutes later. Her hair was up in a loose pony tail, her makeup and clothes were flawless, no one would be able to tell her head was about to split in two just by looking at her. Alec was wolfing down some cereal while Logan made milkshakes for the three of them.  
  
"Is there something different about this Lucky Charms? They taste great! Max, taste this." He shoved a spoonful down Max's throat.  
  
She was about to protest but stopped suddenly. "Hey, they do taste kinda different, hell they taste like something! This things are usually tasteless. Are they sweeter?"  
  
"I don't know but they taste so much better! Logan, my man, you MUST tell me where you got this."  
  
Logan frowned "Same place I've been getting them from since we got here. They taste the same to me."  
  
"Hell no! They taste way better! I always thought they needed to put some more sugar in them." Max sat down and poured some into a bowl.  
  
Logan handed them each a chocolate milkshake and sat down on a stool to drink his own.  
  
Alec took a gulp and made a face "Logan! What did you put in this thing?"  
  
"Same disgusting chocolate I use every day. I'm sorry if it's not up to your prepulse adjusted taste." Logan was scowling now.  
  
Max took a sip of her own and grimaced "Logan, Alec's right. This is kinda bitter don't you think?"  
  
Logan frowned and drank some of his "It seems fine to me. Look guys, don't drink it if you don't want to. Just hurry up or you're going to be late for school again."  
  
The transgenics finished their cereals quickly and dashed downstairs to wash their teeth before leaving for school.  
  
"You think the old man is losing his touch for cooking?" Alec asked with a mouth full of toothpaste.  
  
"Maybe he's just having a bad cook day." Max shrugged  
  
"Let's just hope he gets back into the zone soon, otherwise we'll be living off Lucky Charms for the rest of the mission."  
  
"Oh like that's gonna be a change for you."  
  
Max threw a hand towel at Alec's face and walked out of the bathroom before he could come up with a decent comeback.  
  
************************  
  
"So everything is going as planned?"  
  
"Everything, sir."  
  
"Our new ones adjusting ok?"  
  
"Better than ok, the scientists are quite pleased. They'll prove to be valuable assets. The martial arts teacher is impressed."  
  
"Have you talked to your inside source?"  
  
"Yesterday sir. I delivered this week's instructions."  
  
"Have we had any more incidents?"  
  
"Just one... yesterday, a 16 year old male."  
  
"... Did you take care of it?"  
  
"Of course"  
  
"We'd been expecting loses... Recon?"  
  
"Strategy"  
  
"Figures. We have been working them hard."  
  
"They can take it. Most of them anyway."  
  
"How's the new teacher?"  
  
"Doesn't suspect anything as far as we can tell."  
  
"Good, keep it that way."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Well, you seem to have everything under control. Call me if you have any trouble. I hate handling this over the phone but I can't be seen at the school."  
  
"Yes sir. I understand sir."  
  
"Fenos'tol."  
  
"Fenos'tol."  
  
__________________________________________  
  
MUAHAHA!  
  
Guys I SWEAR the next chapter will be up in a week or two so check back ;)  
  
I'm going to try something new, you might want to get a hold of the following songs, I'll be using them at some point in future chapters. They are pretty much in order (except for the last 10, those are backups.) so get the ones at the top of the list first. It might be a whole new. experience for everyone. If everything goes as planned it'll intensify the emotions on the story. Now I know there are a LOT of songs but you don't have to get them all at once ;) I'll explain everything better when I post the next chapter.  
  
Papa Roach - Last Resort  
  
Crazy Town - Butterfly  
  
Sugar Ray - Fly  
  
Aimee Allen - Revolution  
  
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman  
  
Joan Jet - Bad Reputation  
  
Bush - Chemicals Between Us  
  
Our Lady Peace - 4 am  
  
No Secrets - That's what Girls Do  
  
Punjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke  
  
Offspring - Original Prankster  
  
Tweet - Oops Oh My  
  
Verve Pipe - Bittersweet Symphony  
  
The Donnas - Take it Off  
  
Robert Miles - Fable  
  
Mushroomhead - Sun doesn't shine  
  
Evanescence - Imaginary  
  
Linkin Park - Crawling  
  
P.O.D - Youth of the Nation  
  
Coolio - Gangster Paradise  
  
Truth Hurts ft Rakim - Addictive LP version  
  
Safari Duo - Played-A-Live  
  
Fatboy Slim - Yo Mama  
  
Goo Goo Dolls - Here is Gone  
  
Sugarcult - Pretty Girl (The Way)  
  
Alex Syntek - Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas (yes, it's in spanish. Expand your musical taste ;))  
  
Blu Cantrell Ft Sean Paul - Breathe  
  
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life  
  
Lamb - Lullabye  
  
Gus Gus - Is Jesus Your Pal  
  
Chantal Kraviazuk - Feels Like Home  
  
Hardknox - Attitude  
  
Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment  
  
Enigma - Modern Crusaders  
  
Vertical Horizon - Everything you Want  
  
Black Lab - Learn to Crawl  
  
Drowning Pool - Bodies  
  
Godsmack - Whatever  
  
Guana Apes - Open your Eyes  
  
Nada Surf - Ice Box  
  
Rammstein - Helleluja  
  
Seether - Out of my Way  
  
Sepultura with Mike Patton - The Waste 


	12. Dangerous Games

Dangerous Games  
  
A/N: Ok kids, remember how a few weeks ago I told you to get some songs? Well this is how that's gonna work:  
  
When you see this //Artist - Song\\ play that song and don't stop until you run into one of this ___________________ or into another song. If you see something like this ****** it just means a change of place in the scene, not a different scene so keep playing!  
  
So anyway, the songs I used for this chapter were:  
  
//Papa Roach - Last resort\\  
  
//Crazy Town - Butterfly\\  
  
//Sugar Ray - Fly\\  
  
//Plumb - Damaged\\  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
*This is part of your Christmas present honey, have fun! **kiss kiss**  
  
_________________________________   
  
Max sat in math class, staring into space. Her headache had not subdued in any way and she was concentrating hard on clearing her mind in an attempt to help. However, she was finding it quite hard to concentrate in not concentrating with someone singing loudly behind her. She couldn't help but singing along softly.   
  
"Don't want no short dick man..."   
  
Three seats away Alec snorted and sat up straight. Max gasped softly, had she been singing that loudly?   
  
Getting curious she turned around to see who had been singing the old pre pulse song. She saw a dark haired girl five seats away, still singing. Max frowned, she could've sworn the singer had been right behind her.   
  
The bell rang a few seconds later and Alec laughed as they made their way out of the classroom.   
  
"What's up man? Let us in on the joke!" Iker and Dave, who had both been seating closer to Max than Alec, came up behind the two transgenics.   
  
"What? You didn't hear Max singing?" Alec contained her laughter enough to ask them.   
  
Dave and Iker frowned "Singing?"   
  
"Oh come on! What are you two? Deaf? She was singing so loudly I was sure the teacher was going to hear!"   
  
"I didn't hear her." Iker shrugged "We were probably busy PAYING ATTENTION" Dave winked at Max who smiled.   
  
"I'd love to stay and chat but I need to change for gym." Max rushed off ahead of the boys, even though they were headed for the same place.   
  
As she walked she tried to convince herself that the girl in math class had been singing loud enough for everyone to hear and people just weren't paying attention. She started to walk faster when she realized she couldn't help but hear every little conversation going on around her. Unimportant stuff, just girls talking about boys and makeup, boys talking about girls and sports.   
  
Walking inside the deserted locker room was a relief for her mind. The pain in her head was making her woozy. She changed slowly into her gym clothes and waited to actually go into the gym until the locker room became too crowded for her comfort.   
  
Alec was already there when she entered. He started to walk over to her but the gym teacher intercepted him and made him help her with the mats.   
  
"Gather around class! We're going to spar today. Alec, MJ, would you two like to go first?"   
  
The transgenics nodded and stood at opposite sides of the mats. The rest of the class surrounded them.   
  
They gave a little bow and Max could hear the small appreciative hisses coming from the horny teenagers around them.   
  
Their moves were controlled and restrained. To everyone else there they looked powerful and well trained but Max knew Alec was holding back, she sure as hell was.   
  
After a minute or so of soft kicks and punches Alec kicked Max's legs and pretended to fall on top of her.   
  
"Are you feeling ok?" He whispered.   
  
"No, are you?"   
  
"I'll live."   
  
"I don't think I will but have a nice life." Max joked and Alec laughed a little.   
  
"Hey, are you all right?" The teacher rushed over to them.   
  
"I'm not feeling too good Mrs.. Crick may I be excused?"   
  
"Certainly Maxine. You should probably stop by the infirmary."   
  
Alec rolled off Max and helped her up. "May I take her? I daresay this is all my fault, I should've kept my balance."   
  
"You can take her. She'll be ok, she probably just had the wind knocked out of her."   
  
Alec supported Max all the way to the locker room.   
  
"Don't tell me your head isn't killing you!" Max whispered urgently.   
  
"I have a bad headache but I can handle it. You don't look like you can handle yours though, you're turning an interesting shade of green."   
  
"I'll be fine. I just need a coffee and some peace. My ears hurt too."   
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "Your ears?"   
  
Max just shrugged.   
  
"Side effect I guess. I'll go to the coffee shop for the rest of the class. Meet me there afterwards?"   
  
"Oh great! Leave me here alone to fight the Neo wannabes!" Alec protested with a smile.   
  
Max appreciated his efforts to cheer her up but the truth was, she was in too much pain to be cheerful.   
  
*************  
  
"Hey there, I've got some good news for you."   
  
Max, who had been resting her head on her folded arms, looked up at the sound of Logan's voice.   
  
"How did you find me?" She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced, it was too bitter for her taste but she didn't have the energy to get up and get sugar.   
  
"I ran into Alec. So anyway, the rest of your classes were canceled because of some assembly for the juniors. Since I don't teach them I have the next hour off so I can drive you home. Alec told me you weren't feeling too well."   
  
"I'm not. Where is he?"   
  
"He said he had some stuff to take care off and that he'd catch us later."   
  
"Ok, let's go." Max took her ice latte with her and they left the coffee shop.   
  
*************  
  
"Dak, you wanted to see me?" Alec sat down on a bench next to the dark haired beauty.   
  
"Yup. I need some help with..."   
  
Alec started to feel woozy, he tuned Dakareth's voice out, it was almost as if the sound of her voice could hurt his ears somehow.   
  
"Alec? Are you paying attention?" Dak snapped her fingers.   
  
"Yeah yeah, hum... could you... whisper? I think someone might be overhearing." Alec whispered to her.   
  
Dak frowned "So? It's not as if the dance decorations are a big secret or anything... So anyway, could I count you in?"   
  
"For what?"   
  
"Help! Geez Alec, where are you today?"   
  
"Hum... I just... didn't sleep well last night. I think I'll go home and take a nap." He stood up and looked around his backpack for his car keys.   
  
"Ok, fine. We'll talk later."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Tell MJ I hope she feels better soon!"   
  
"I will" Alec said as he walked quickly to his car, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it.   
  
*************  
  
//Papa Roach - Last resort\\  
  
Max took deep, calming breaths.   
  
"Traffic is terrible at this hour. Try to sleep, this might take a while." Logan turned up the music and Max groaned. She turned it off and glared at Logan.   
  
"Classic music upsets you?" He asked.   
  
"Yes! It would even if I didn't have this monster headache! I'm sick of this music, it's bad enough I have to hear it all day at school."   
  
Logan shrugged and turned his head back to the road.   
  
Max looked out the window at the hideous traffic. There seemed to be some kind of traffic accident ahead because she could hear yelling.   
  
And honking   
  
And yelling   
  
And honking   
  
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. The honking was making her crazy, the yelling was hurting her ears.   
  
The guy on the car next to theirs turned his music up and sang along. Max would've gotten out and beaten the crap out of him and his stereo if she could only move.   
  
The pain was intensifying   
  
It was paralyzing her.   
  
She covered her ears with her hands as the guy behind them honked.   
  
The guy beside them beeped too, the traffic was clearing up but the guy in front of them didn't seem to notice this, he just wouldn't move.   
  
"For pete's sake." Logan honked loudly.   
  
The sound traveled from the car to Max's ears, it bounced around the car in waves. The pain was excruciating. Max pressed her hands against her ears even more forcefully as the full blast of sound hit her.   
  
She tossed her head back and let out an ear piercing scream.   
  
*************  
  
Alec was driving fast, he was trying to get home before his head split in two. Something was wrong, so very very wrong.  
  
His cell phone rang then, the noise startled him so much he almost drove off the road. He fumbled around his jacket for the damn device and answered it quickly, more than ready to get rid of the annoying ringing.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Alec!"  
  
"Logan? What's up."  
  
"Are you driving?"  
  
"Hum... yeah."  
  
"Pull over."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Pull over! Now!"  
  
"What's wrong with you man? I'm in the middle of the freakin..."  
  
"Alec PULL OVER!"  
  
At that precise moment something exploded on the back of Alec's head, almost as if he'd been hit with something hard. He pulled over instantly, ignoring the stream of obscenities that emanated from the people driving behind him.  
  
He closed his eyes and threw his head back. "Logan, what's going on?"  
  
"Where are you?" Logan's worried voice in his ear was far from comforting.  
  
"About four miles away from home."  
  
"Put the hood of your car up and lie down on the back seat. You are probably going to pass out in a minute or two. I'm driving over to get you."  
  
"I'm gonna WHAT?"  
  
"Do it Alec!"  
  
Alec pulled all his remaining strength together and did as he was told. The pain in his head was blinding him. He curled up on the back seat and closed his eyes, hoping with all his might that what Logan had said was true. The pain was so intense he couldn't wait to pass out.  
  
It took only a few minutes for his world to go black.  
  
____________________________  
  
When he came back to he found himself on the back seat and Logan at the wheel. His headache was receding a little but he was sweating like a pig and shivering too much.  
  
"Welcome back. Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had to drop Max off at the house and get a cab to come and get you. I called sebastian on the way here. He said as soon as you start sweating the fever will go down a bit and you'll start feeling better."  
  
Alec winced, it was too much information to take in at once.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You passed out from an 'overload' as Sebastian called it." Logan kept driving through traffic.  
  
"How did you know I was gonna... oh, Max right?" Alec tried to sit up but his stomach didn't agree with the movement so he laid back down.  
  
"Yeah, she seems to be presenting the symptoms a bit faster and stronger than you. She was still unconscious when I came here to get you."  
  
Alec groaned "What's happening to us?"  
  
"Gene therapy. They are trying to enhance your sense of smell and your hearing. Probably taste too. Your body shut down to repair itself and fight the effects, we knew it might happen."  
  
"When will this torture be over? Did Sebastian say? Because I have a dare to complete tomorrow night and it's gonna be hell on earth if I have to go to a club like this."  
  
"He didn't say but you have a day to recuperate."  
  
The two men remained silent for the rest of the ride. When they got home Alec was just about to go inside when Logan stopped him.  
  
"Alec, I need you to get Max. I left her in the car."  
  
Alec frowned "You LEFT her in the car?"  
  
"I can't touch her, I couldn't carry her."  
  
"Right." Alec grumbled and walked to the car. He opened the door and gasped.  
  
"Logan! She's seizing!"  
  
"Oh crap!" Logan rushed over to them but Alec was already holding a shaking Max in his arms.  
  
"Get the door!" He instructed Logan.  
  
As soon as they were inside Logan rushed off to get some milk.  
  
"Could she be seizing because of the tryptophan? How do we know she's seizing because of the tryptophan?" Alec asked the older man.  
  
"We don't. For all we know that could happen to you any moment now."  
  
But it didn't. Alec held Max close to him and made her swallow some more milk. It took almost an hour for the shakes to stop.  
  
Alec sighed and relaxed against the headboard "We need to know if her seizures are being caused by of something here."  
  
Logan nodded "I agree, I'll call Sebastian now."  
  
Alec was glad Logan had such a great, geeky friend. They had certainly been depending on Sebastian a lot.  
  
Max stirred in his arms and he pushed the sweat soaked hair away from her forehead. She opened her eyes and tried to focus.  
  
"Hey there." Alec whispered.  
  
"Alec... Oh my God Alec! Are you ok?!" Max sat up quickly and instantly regretted it as a wave of nausea cursed through her body.  
  
"I'm fine. Logan called me and made me pull over before I passed out." Alec smirked.  
  
"... Why are you giving me that look?" Max eyed him with suspicion.  
  
"You were worried about me weren't you?"  
  
"No I wasn't! ... I was worried about the car!" Max covered up even though she knew Alec could see through her bullshit. "You don't take good care of that baby. She's always dirty and... muddy and... she's too much of a car for you!"  
  
Alec's smile grew wider "If you think the car is dirty you should spend a night with the driver." He raised his eyebrows a few times and gave Max a sexy look.  
  
That earned him a slap on the head.  
  
*************  
  
The doorbell rang just as Logan was getting off the phone with Sebastian. He opened the door with a puzzled expression only to find a kid standing on the other side.  
  
"Hello, can I help you?"  
  
"Mr.. Cale! Hi."  
  
"Hum... hi." Logan was truly puzzled by the boy with greasy black hair standing in front of him.  
  
"I'm Tom... from your history class?"  
  
A light bulb went off in Logan's head "Oh Tom! Hi! What brings you around?"  
  
"I hum... I'm looking for MJ? I heard she wasn't feeling well and I just thought I'd check up on her, see if there's anything I can do?"  
  
He looked a bit agitated and more than a little self conscious.  
  
"Well... MJ and I don't have much contact, I don't even know if she's home. Why don't you try knocking oh her door? It's right around the back."  
  
"Oh... yeah ok, I think I'll do that. Thanks!"   
  
Tom turned his back to Logan and walked away quickly. Logan noticed the back of his school shirt was drained with sweat and he was opening and closing his fists quickly. Logan wasn't sure Tom was even aware he was doing that.  
  
He went to the basement door and locked it from the inside but instead of going back to his computer he stood by the door and listened, just in case.  
  
*************  
  
After laughing at Alec's cheesy line Max sank back down on her bed and closed her eyes. The seizure had tired her out but at least the headache was mostly gone.  
  
Alec had left her for a few minutes to take a quick shower, he hadn't even bothered to close the door and she could see the hot steam pouring out of the bathroom in waves.  
  
"You better not finish all the hot water or I'll have your ass."  
  
"You promise?" Alec responded from the shower and Max grunted, she was too tired to go in there and hit him for that one.  
  
Someone knocked then and Max groaned "Alec, can you get that please?"  
  
"Max you are WAY closer to the door! Not to mention fully clothed."  
  
"Yeah but I'm tired! ... Pleeeease?"  
  
Alec grunted something that sounded like a fine and strode out of the bathroom with a blue towel wrapped around his waist. He sung the door open.  
  
"Hello" He greeted the stranger.  
  
"Hum... hi." Tom offered no explanation as to why he was standing in front of Alec's doorstep sweating like a pig.  
  
"... Aren't you a bit too old to be selling cookies?"  
  
"Uh?" Tom frowned.  
  
"Boy scout? What?" Alec wasn't making much sense but then again, neither was Tom.  
  
"I believe girl scouts sell cookies, not boys." Tom answered.  
  
"Whatever, so... can I help you?"  
  
Max, who had after her seizure removed most of her clothes only to remain in a form fitting tank top and her six-year-old boy panties, sat up in her bed and glanced at the door curiously.  
  
"Alec, who is it?"  
  
"Hum... who are you?" Alec asked the big nosed intruder.  
  
Tom glanced past a half naked Alec at Max, barely clothed and stretched out on her bed, or was it her bed?  
  
"I'm uh... sorry, my mistake." Tom turned around and walked away quickly.  
  
Alec shrugged and closed the door.  
  
"Alec, who WAS it?"   
  
"No one."  
  
___________________________________  
  
//Crazy Town - Butterfly\\  
  
Wednesday night came soon enough and with that Alec's dare.  
  
He walked into a little club full of people around his age followed by Luke, Nikki and Melissa. His confident strides took him across the room and all the way to a table on the back that had been reserved just for them.   
  
Alec turned heads while he walked, both male and female. His form fitting jeans and tight black shirt made girls look at him with lust and guys stare with envy.  
  
The four members of the elite sat down around a circular table that reminded him of Crash. Luke ordered a bottle of tequila for them, which arrived a few minutes later along with 4 shot glasses, some lemons and salt.  
  
The conversation so far had revolved around cars and chicks, much to the girl's disgust. Alec couldn't help but be amazed at how normal the kids looked for brain washed, gene altered super teenagers that is; even if they WERE doing a stupid dare that would leave most of them with a hangover the size of Texas.  
  
"Remember kids! We all have to drink a whole bottle of this shit!" Luke reminded them while pouring the first round.  
  
They laughed and joked around while they drank. The loud music and atmosphere seemed to increase the teenagers' euphoria even though Alec noticed they were still quite lucid after five shots. He was even more weirded out when Luke walked up to him and said  
  
"I can't believe you're not hammered yet! How many have you had? Six?"  
  
"Seven." Alec responded automatically and Luke whistled.  
  
"I can hold my alcohol well." He offered as an explanation.  
  
"I can see that."  
  
"Well what about you? You've drank as many as I have!"  
  
"I've had practice" Luke winked at Alec and left him to go dance with Nikki.  
  
Melissa, who had been drinking way faster than the rest of them and was probably up to her tenth shot, walked up to Alec and sat on his lap. She tried to tell him something but she was giggling so much it was impossible.  
  
Alec drowned his eight shot and restrained himself from pushing her off his lap. Lately he'd been feeling bad about doing anything with drunk girls, damn Max and her shitload of humanity.  
  
"Alec! Body Shot!" Melissa shrieked and pushed the tequila bottle and Alec's glass off the table. He caught them before they hit the floor and thanked his transgenic reflexes, which still worked to perfection even after all that alcohol.  
  
The cute blonde hopped on the table, leaned back and raised her shirt. She handed Alec the salt and lemon and giggled again.  
  
Alec sighed and closed his eyes.   
  
'Oh well, all in a day's work.' He thought before diving in.  
  
________________________________  
  
Max had been waiting up for him, he could tell. She pretended to be asleep when Alec walked in but he ignored her gesture and undressed on his way to her bed. He sat down by her feet and removed his shoes and socks.  
  
"Don't you even try to pretend to be asleep, I know you want all the juicy details."  
  
Max dropped the act and sat up "So, how was it?"  
  
Alec chuckled but he became serious again in an instant "It was bearable."  
  
"Bearable?"  
  
"You should have seen them Max! We drank so much alcohol those kids should have been dropping like Clinton's flies! But they were barely tipsy! I mean... Luke drove home!"  
  
Max raised an eyebrow "So did you."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Max hugged her knees "How do you think they're doing it?"  
  
"Training."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Luke said he'd had practice. My guess is they do this really often, combined with some good old fashioned gene therapy."  
  
Max bit her lip "All this from a simple little weekly shot?"  
  
"No."   
  
Logan's voice at the top of the stairs startled them both.  
  
"Logan! You scared the crap out of me. How long had you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough to hear Alec's theory. I think you're right but they are probably using something more than just the shots for the gene therapy."  
  
"How do you know?" Alec got up from Max's bed and walked to the bathroom for his toothbrush.  
  
"Sebastian came through. Preliminary tests show that the gene therapy in those 'flu shots' are to enhance your hearing and sense of smell, maybe even taste."  
  
"Well that explains it. I'm sorry for saying your mac and cheese smelled like feet." Alec joked to try to lighten the mood but Max wasn't amused.  
  
"Did he say anything about my seizures?"  
  
"As a matter of fact he did. Alec, can you remember when you stopped having the seizures?"  
  
Alec pushed his toothbrush to the side of his mouth and said "Surmh"  
  
He went to the bathroom and rinsed before continuing "They started giving us a little pink pill that tasted like copper if you took too long to swallow it, after taking it for a couple of weeks the shakes went away for good."  
  
"How long were you taking it for?" Logan sat down on the couch and watched as Alec took something shiny from his jeans pocket and crawled into bed with it. Logan found that strange but said nothing.  
  
"Oh I don't know... six months maybe."  
  
"Then that's it. They started to cure your seizures Max but you never completed the treatment."  
  
"So I got a few months of peace and now they are back? That sucks."  
  
"Sebastian thinks they might be a bit worse than you're used to for a while until your system balances out again."  
  
Max rolled her eyes "Calm before the storm, figures even my health wouldn't last."  
  
But Max's thoughts weren't really on the chemicals in her brain but the gold chain she'd seen Alec take from his jeans. She'd seen him transferring that same chain from one pair of pants to the other just yesterday and she was wondering what that was all about but for some reason she was sure he wouldn't tell her if she pushed.  
  
She also knew he'd tell her when he was ready.  
  
____________________________  
  
Alec walked into the cafeteria expecting to see Luke, Melissa and Nikki to have a hideous hangover but they looked completely normal to him.  
  
"Hey Alec my friend! How's it hangin'?" Luke motioned him over to their table.  
  
"How's your head? Hangover from hell?" Nikki fussed over Alec and he smiled.  
  
"Mild headache, how about you?"  
  
"Oh we're fine. You'll be fine too you know, soon." Melissa smiled at him from across the table.  
  
"What do you mean?" Alec played dumb.  
  
"She means you'll be able to hold your booze better with time." Dak, who had just arrived with Max, explained to Alec and sat down next to him.  
  
Alec left the matter drop and concentrated on his hot lunch, which tasted like rubber and looked like glue.  
  
"So, you all have your bathing suits ready?" Dak bit down on an apple and offered the rest of it to Alec who gratefully accepted it.  
  
"Bathing suits?" Max frowned.  
  
"For the car wash." Melissa shrieked.  
  
"Oh yeah! Well I'm all set." Max smiled.  
  
Alec choked on his apple "You have a bathing suit?"  
  
"Well of course I do silly! Don't you?"   
  
Alec coughed a few times and hit his chest to force the 'unchewed' piece of unexpected apple down his throat "I do but I didn't think... I mean you don't... ugh forget it."  
  
Max chuckled and opened her yogurt. It was always nice to know she still had some surprises left for her 'roomie'.  
  
************  
  
Max sat through Mrs.. Hooke bio class bored out of her mind. She'd read and memorized the whole book two nights ago and now had absolutely nothing to do.  
  
Lucky for her Amanda had something to tell her. She passed Max a tiny piece of paper while the teacher wasn't looking.  
  
'Your dare has been moved up for today, we have something different planned for friday. Dak will meet you outside at 3 o'clock. Good luck!'  
  
Max smiled. Bungee jumping in just a few hours! Her day was definitely looking up.  
  
************  
  
"MJ! Ready to go? I hope you don't mind the change of plans. Luke scored big time so we have something else to do tomorrow." Ashley announced.  
  
"Scored what?" Max frowned.  
  
"Hey guys! Ready? Let's hit the road, it's gonna be a long ride." Dak interrupted the conversation.  
  
The girls and Sean piled into his car and they drove off. Max pulled out her cell phone.  
  
"Who're you calling?" Ashley, who was sitting next to her, asked.  
  
"Alec. I didn't see him for the rest of the day so he'll be waiting for me." Max waited for him to answer.  
  
"Yello." Alec's voice sounded a little far away.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Max! Where are you?"  
  
"On my way to the bungee."  
  
"I thought that was tomorrow."  
  
"So did I."  
  
"You're in a car?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ok well listen, I ran into Logan and he said he needed to talk to us. I think he found some more information on the mansion."  
  
"Ok well..." Max looked up and realized that Dak was staring at her through the mirror of the car and she was frowning. "Dak, is everything all right?"  
  
"Yes of course, why wouldn't it be?" She looked away quickly.  
  
"Hum... ok, you just looked a bit uncomfortable there for a second." Max was trying to keep the panic away from her voice. Had Dak overheard somehow? But how?   
  
"I'm ok, I just have cramps."  
  
"Are you sure those are cramps? You're not getting nervous on us are you Dakareth?" Sean joked.  
  
"They are Cramps Sean! Or would you like me to pull up my skirt and show you?"  
  
Sean raised his arms in surrender "Hey I believe you!"  
  
"Max, is everything ok?" Alec's voice startled her, she'd forgotten he was still there.  
  
"Yeah. I'll... I'll call you later ok?"  
  
"Fine."   
  
They both hung up and Max turned to the girls with concern, she'd just realized something.  
  
"Hey guys? Are we supposed to jump wearing SKIRTS?"  
  
"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Here, put this on." Dak handed her a pair of jeans and tossed another pair in Ashley's direction. Then she yanked her skirt off and slipped on her own pair of jeans without even a glance in Sean's direction.  
  
Max looked down at the jeans Dak had given her and frowned.  
  
"Dak... this are my jeans."  
  
"Well duh! What did you expect me to do? Give you a pair of Sean's?"  
  
"No I mean... how did you get them?"  
  
"Skipped fifth period, went to your place and got them."  
  
"But how did you get in?"  
  
Dak rolled her eyes and turned around to face her "What is this? Twenty fucking questions? I just did ok!"  
  
Sean placed a hand on Dak's knee "Hey, chill ok? I'm sorry if my comment upset you."  
  
Dak was fuming "No one says chill anymore Sean."  
  
But Max was under the impression that Dakareth's sudden outburst hadn't been due to Sean's comment. Something was very wrong and she was going to find out what it was soon.  
  
*************  
  
//Sugar Ray - Fly\\  
  
The bungee was HUGE! It was on top of a hill and the drop seemed to be like a thousand feet. Max couldn't wait to get up there.  
  
"Ok, well here we are! Who want so go first?" Ashley asked.  
  
"I'll go!" Max volunteered.  
  
"Great! Well good luck! Elevator's right over there." Dak pointed out the way. Max reached into her backpack and came up with the disposable camera she'd bought less than a week ago.  
  
"Hey, would you mind taking a picture? I want to send this camera to an old friend of mine back home." Max explained.  
  
"I'll do it!" Sean took the camera and wished Max good luck.  
  
She rode the elevator to the top of the hill where a guy was waiting to strap her gear on. She supervised the process and pretended to be a bit nervous.  
  
When she was finally given the 'go' she stood on the edge of the platform and looked down. Her friends looked like ants from so far up.   
  
She smiled, spread her arms and tossed her head back before jumping over the edge.  
  
Suddenly the world was passing her by, she felt free and relaxed like she hadn't felt in a long time. All her worries, her concerns disappeared in those few seconds of the freeing experience.  
  
The air on her face, the free fall feeling, the adrenaline rush, they were all great but they couldn't erase the feeling she got when she got a glimpse at Dak's face. Suddenly all her good feelings were replaced with good old fashioned uneasiness that she couldn't seem to be able to get rid of.  
  
______________________________  
  
"So she was staring at you? I mean really staring?"  
  
"Yes! Alec, I really think she heard you!"  
  
"That's impossible! You said you could barely hear me yourself!" Alec ran a hand through his hair and sank deeper into Logan's couch.  
  
"Well something strange is going on with that girl, it can't be just coincidence."  
  
"Right now I think we should concentrate on this." Logan walked into the living room and sat across from the transgenics.  
  
"Something was bugging me about the information I got on the house. Remember what I told you? The house was built in 1979 by a man named Alfred Young, he was a very wealthy man, had his own business, something to do with the internet? Well I knew something was off, I just didn't know what. So I analyzed all the information and then I remembered."  
  
"What?" Alec leaned forward.  
  
"The information said Mr.. Young made his fortune with some internet business, only the world wide web wasn't invented until 1989."  
  
"... Crap. So we should assume all information is wrong. The place was probably not even owned by a Mr.. Young!" Max buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Well we can't be sure. What I AM sure of is that you two need to get back in that house. I think the secret to this must be somewhere in that strange office."  
  
Alec glanced at Max and smirked "Time to get out the old cat suit!"  
  
________________________  
  
Max and Alec climbed up the brick wall with ease but Alec still found a reason to complain.  
  
"You know, you could have just gotten your 'boyfriend' to disable the cameras for two minutes instead of having us climb!"  
  
Max rolled her eyes "I'm not even going to comment on that one."  
  
They reached the main bedroom balcony in no time. Max pulled herself up and got to work in the lock.  
  
She had that door open in seconds and the two transgenics crawled in, staying low and out of the camera's range. Alec pushed the fake wall and Max got in, she held it open for him and let it close softly behind him.  
  
"Is this room bugged?" She whispered.  
  
Alec closed his eyes in concentration for a few moments then shook his head.  
  
Their night vision kicked in and both transgenics looked around the room.  
  
"I'll take the computer." Alec sat down on the huge computer chair and turned it on.   
  
He shook his head "Here's another thing that doesn't fit. This house is supposed to have been abandoned since 1996, this computer has Windows 98."  
  
Max shrugged "Maybe the elite has been using this office."  
  
"Oh please, they wouldn't be using Windows 98! This thing takes twice the gestation period of an elephant to load up!"  
  
"Then this house has more secrets than we thought." Max walked around and discovered a safe.  
  
"Look Alec!"  
  
He smiled "What are you waiting for? Crack it!"   
  
Max pressed her ear against the safe and got to work on it while Alec looked through the files in the computer.  
  
After a few minutes he sighed "Well this is all useless crap. No one in their right minds would keep information in a computer that runs with Windows anyway."  
  
"Shhh" Max scolded him. The safe opened with a click and she smiled, satisfied.  
  
Alec was out of his seat and next to Max in a second. "So, what is it?"  
  
Max pulled out a few red candles, some kind of torch, a yellow liquid that seemed quite flammable and something that looked like floor plans.  
  
Alec spread the plans on the floor and Max kneeled next to him.  
  
The drawings looked like plans but they didn't make much sense, the base of whatever they were looking for seemed to be tilted and the whole surface divided in quadrants.  
  
"Can you make sense of it?" Max asked.  
  
Alec shook his head and took out a small digital camera that Logan had given them. He snapped a few shots of the plans and the other stuff and crammed everything back in the safe.  
  
"Well, I think we have what we came for." Alec turned the computer off and Max closed the safe.  
  
"Uh oh." Max's eyes widened.  
  
"What?" Alec asked.  
  
"How the hell are we going to get out of here?"  
  
"Oh crap!" Alec ran to the wooden fake wall and pushed it but nothing happened.  
  
"The door opens only from the outside! How the hell could we have forgotten that?" Max smacked her forehead and leaned against the wall. "Our cell phones won't even work in here!"  
  
"Oh no no no no, there must be some way of opening it from the inside! Just help me look for it."  
  
They spent the next twenty minutes running their hands over every inch of the walls, looking behind every book in the bookcase, checking the desk but they found nothing.  
  
"That's it! I'm knocking this wall down!" Alec roared in frustration.  
  
"Alec calm down! We can just wait here until Logan gets worried and comes looking for us."  
  
"No Max! We're getting out of here now!"  
  
"Alec! What's wrong with you?"  
  
Alec sighed and whispered "I really really have to pee."  
  
Max burst out laughing at his statement and he just scowled.  
  
"Can't you hold it in?"  
  
"I've been holding it in for too long!"  
  
"Well pee in that pot!"  
  
"I can't"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"The plant is plastic."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So I just can't!"   
  
Max raised her eyebrows "Fine, have it your way."  
  
Alec jumped up and down a few times, loosening his neck and shoulders, then he gathered up speed and crashed against the wall.  
  
He bounced back like a rubber ball and the wall didn't even dent.  
  
Alec let out a string of obscenities while Max laughed like a maniac. She took out her pocket knife and scraped off a bit of the wall.  
  
"Bad news rubber boy, this wall is made of some metal... probably titanium."  
  
"Oh you've got to be shittin me!" Alec groaned.  
  
"Nope, we're stuck in here until Logan misses us."  
  
Five minutes later Max had her back to the plastic plant.  
  
"Don't look!" Alec warned her.  
  
"Alec you've never had a problem peeing in front of me!"  
  
"I'd never peed on a plastic plant before!"  
  
Max shook her head "You're one screwed up guy."  
  
"And you're just noticing that now?!"  
  
"Oh shut up and pee."  
  
A few seconds went by in total silence.  
  
"Max?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Could you cover your ears and hum?"  
  
Max rolled her eyes but covered her ears and hummed the tune of Mary had a little lamb but with her super hearing she could still hear the distinct hiss. She smiled and kept humming.  
  
*************  
  
Four hours later the two transgenics were still stuck in the small office. Alec was sitting down on the floor with his back to the fake wall and Max's head on his lap. She'd fallen asleep hours ago and he'd fallen deep into thought.  
  
His eyes were closed but his forehead showed signs of hard thinking. Maybe it was the pitch blackness, maybe it was the trapped feeling, either way her head on his lap reminded him of so many things, so many nights lying just like that with someone that looked so much like her. The pain afterwards, having it happen again. So many people, so many lives, that night in Africa...  
  
Alec's eyes filled with tears and his hand unconsciously reached for his right pocket.  
  
Max stirred then and his hand shot back to it's original position on her hair.  
  
"What time is it?" Max mumbled and looked up.  
  
"Hum... late." Alec turned away from her and tried to blink away the tears but Max noticed.  
  
"Alec are you..."  
  
"No! I just got something in my eye. Dirt."  
  
Max frowned and sat up. "What's going on? Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine ok?" Alec turned away from her completely.  
  
"Hey... we are going to get out of here you know? Logan won't leave us here to rot!"  
  
"What? Of... Max I know that! I'm not 4!"  
  
"Well you look upset."  
  
Alec turned around quickly to look at her "Has it ever occurred to you that I might not be such a shallow guy?"  
  
"Have you ever given me a reason to?" Max snapped back at him.  
  
Alec stood up and yelled "How dare you even say that to me? I gave up everything to come on this little 'save the world' mission with you!"  
  
"Oh and I didn't?" Max stood up too and placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"You chose to be here because you love playing hero Max."  
  
"Oh and you don't?"  
  
"No! I just came to look after your sorry ass!"   
  
"Well I can look after my own ass thank you very much!"  
  
"No you can't Max! You can't! You only managed to survive this long without me because you are a loner but either way you were not going to be alone in this! If you'd just taken off on this little quest with just Logan one of you would be dead by now!"  
  
"I can look after both of us!" Max was yelling now too.  
  
"If you really believe that then what the hell am I doing here?" Alec lowered his voice a bit.  
  
"This is a three men job. If it weren't I never would have asked you to come."  
  
//Plumb - Damaged\\  
  
Alec became quiet for a few moments "So that's all I am to you? A man for a job?"  
  
Max's face softened "No Alec I..."  
  
"I'm just an intruder in your little untouchable love fest am I not?"  
  
"Alec..."  
  
"You know what? It's fine. I'll be gone as soon as we get out of here and you can go back to watching your own ass and crying over your broken relationship."  
  
"Alec..."  
  
"It's just that... I really thought we were getting somewhere. You and me, I thought we were becoming friends."  
  
"Al..."  
  
"But god knows you'd never become friends with a killer now would you? Us inhuman trained assassins are below you! Go ahead and run back to perfect Logan. I'm sure he'd never kill the ones he loves."  
  
Alec leaned back against the fake wall and banged the back of his head on it. Then he slowly sank down to the floor with his eyes closed.  
  
Max's head hung low as she made her way across the small room and crouched down by Alec's feet.  
  
"I'm a killer too Alec. I killed my brother with my bare hands!"  
  
Alec looked up slowly "Yes Max but you managed to remain pure in spite of that. Your soul has gone by untouched. Unlike some of us soulless bastards."  
  
Max's hands rested on his knees "The fact that your heart can ache like it does right now tells me that you still have a soul in there. A damaged one, no doubt. But then again, we all have our secrets don't we?"  
  
Alec closed his eyes and Max's arms went around him. He clung to her with as much need as she did to him. Her legs straddled his in an effort to get closer to his heart, to warm him from the inside.  
  
He pulled back a little to stare into her deep brown eyes. They were damp with tears. Her lower lip trembled and he had to concentrate on something other than her full lips to keep his head straight but he was quickly losing the battle with rationality.  
  
"Max..."  
  
Her knee hit a dent in the floor that they'd missed before and the wall they were leaning against swung open, forcing them backwards.   
  
___________________  
  
Alec landed on his back with Max on top of him but as soon as her knee left the dent the wall started to swing shut again.  
  
"Crap!" Alec pushed himself back with Max still in his arms. Max screamed as the door closed over the tip of her sneakers. It cut through the rubber like butter.  
  
"Max! Oh my God are you ok? Your toes!"  
  
Max covered his mouth with her hand and wiggled her now exposed toes to show him she was ok. Then they slowly made their way out of the room.  
  
Once they were safely outside and on the ground Max groaned "Let's just hope no one saw us."  
  
Alec shrugged "Let's just deal with things when they happen. Why don't we go home? I'm tired."  
  
Max frowned "Alec..."  
  
But he was already heading for the woods.  
  
*************  
  
When they got home they looked around for Logan but he was nowhere to be found.  
  
Max sat on the breakfast bar while Alec uploaded the pictures they'd taken.  
  
Logan stormed in then, running his hand through his tousled hair and looking desperate. As soon as he saw the teenagers he relaxed.  
  
"Where were you? I was worried!" Logan scolded them.  
  
"Where were we? Where were you?! We spent four hours stuck inside that office!" Max jumped off the bar and confronted Logan.  
  
"I was looking for you! Only you never told me exactly where that damn house is! I got lost in the woods and only now found my way out."  
  
"You got... how could you get lost in the woods?!" Max shrieked.  
  
Alec shook his head "You city people have no sense of direction." He mocked.  
  
Both Max and Logan have him a look.  
  
"Anyhow, why don't you come here and take a look at what we got?" Alec gave his seat to Logan and wandered off to find something to eat.  
  
Logan sat down and frowned "What am I looking at?"  
  
"The contents of a safe."   
  
"Candles and a torch? Why would they keep that in a safe?" Logan flipped through the pictures.  
  
"No idea, but the floor plans might be useful." Alec returned with a box of cheerios.  
  
"Are you sure this are floor plans? They don't look like anything I've ever seen." Logan tilted the picture "Maybe it's a part of a whole, maybe we're missing something."  
  
Max frowned and leaned closer to the screen "I don't know... something about that looks oddly familiar."  
  
"Well that's still not very helpful is it?" Logan rubbed his forehead and moaned "I think this is a dead end. I'll give it some thought. In the meantime why don't you two try to catch a few hours of sleep?"  
  
"I think I will." Alec yawned and walked to the basement door.  
  
"Max? You coming?"  
  
Max opened her mouth to say yes but then she looked at Alec and felt a sudden pang of something that felt suspiciously like guilt.  
  
"Hum... I don't think so. I got enough sleep already. I think I'll just stay here and help Logan."  
  
Alec shrugged "Fine."  
  
He closed the door behind him and Max sighed before getting ready for a night on the couch.  
  
___________________________  
  
School the next day was hell for both transgenics. Max had been too uncomfortable in the couch to get any sleep and Alec had been to worried by his outburst to even close his eyes.  
  
By third period he realized that he wouldn't make it through Bio without one of Luke's wonderful caffeine pills. Alec tracked him down in the hall and requested a magic pill, which Luke gave him immediately.  
  
"Tired?" He asked Alec.  
  
"You have no idea. I've been... studying late."  
  
Luke nodded "I know what that's like. Listen, drop by my place around eight tonight and bring MJ with you. We're having a little... get together."  
  
Alec frowned "Ok... sure, we'll be there."  
  
Luke grinned "Great! I'll see you there! You're gonna love it."  
  
Alec was left in the hall to wonder exactly what was it that he was going to love.  
  
*************  
  
Alec knocked on Luke's door hours later and waited next to Max. There was noise coming from the inside, lots of it.  
  
Several seconds passed and Alec was just about to knock again when the door swung open.  
  
The noise inside was deafening, music turned as up as it could go.  
  
Max winced as they stepped inside.  
  
"The walls must be a mile thick." She glanced at Alec who nodded.  
  
"Nikki! Turn it down a bit will you?" Luke yelled over the noise.  
  
The pretty blonde close to the stereo turned it off and smiled at the newcomers.  
  
"We're the last one here? When will we ever be on time?" Alec joked.  
  
"You are on time." Dak, who had been sitting on the couch, stood up.  
  
"So what's going on?" Max wanted to know.  
  
Luke smiled "I scored for us!"   
  
Max frowned, she'd heard that before.  
  
Dak shook her head "Here, try this." She handed Max a tiny envelope with white powder inside.  
  
"Try it?" Max's eyebrows almost became one with her hairline.  
  
"Smoke it, sniff it, we have some needles around if you're into that."  
  
Alec took the envelope from Max and peeked inside.  
  
"Hum sorry guys but we told you before, we don't do drugs." Alec gave Dak the envelope.  
  
"This are not drugs! Well... not exactly." Ashley giggled "They'll give you a buzz but you won't get addicted! They're safe!"  
  
Iker grabbed Amanda's arm and wiggled his eyebrows "Oh I think they can give us a bit more than a buzz"  
  
Amanda giggled.  
  
"Hum... I really don't think..." Max started to say but Dave interrupted her "Come on, what are you? Afraid?"  
  
"Of course not!" Max exclaimed "I just don't think..."  
  
"Well you just have to do it. If you're scared then... you're not who we thought you were." Dade took a pill from his twin brother's hand and popped it.  
  
Max turned to Alec, her eyes screamed the question 'What should we do?'  
  
His head dropped and he mumbled "I don't think those things are going to do us much anyway, we ARE immune to most drugs."  
  
Max sighed, it was all for the sake of the mission right?  
  
"Hand over that envelope."  
  
_____________________________________  
  
Guys I know I said it'd be two weeks before I updated again last time but exactly a day after I posted I got an eye infection and had to stay away from my computer for a while so... sorry about that.  
  
Now I'm getting surgery so it might be a little while before I post again but fear not, I will post again! Even if I have to dictate the whole thing to someone over the phone!  
  
Ok, done with surgery (2 days ago) and now I'm back (and I really shouldn't be here) I just wanted to let you all know that I did not read this over and the spelling check was just an automatic one so if you find anything incredibly incoherent (other than a mistake with the dare dates, I noticed that but I can not change it right now, my eyes are killing me) let me know.  
  
So now, I'm not very happy with the songs in this chapter, I just wanted to get the ball rolling. However, the songs in the future chapters will be a bit more relevant ;) so stay with me!  
  
Here's the list of remaining songs for this story, remember to get the ones at the top first!  
  
Aimee Allen - Revolution  
  
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman  
  
Joan Jet - Bad Reputation  
  
Bush - Chemicals Between Us  
  
Our Lady Peace - 4 am  
  
No Secrets - That's what Girls Do  
  
Punjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke  
  
Offspring - Original Prankster  
  
Tweet - Oops Oh My  
  
Verve Pipe - Bittersweet Symphony  
  
The Donnas - Take it Off  
  
Robert Miles - Fable  
  
Mushroomhead - Sun doesn't shine  
  
Evanescence - Imaginary  
  
Linkin Park - Crawling  
  
P.O.D - Youth of the Nation  
  
Coolio - Gangster Paradise  
  
Truth Hurts ft Rakim - Addictive LP version  
  
Safari Duo - Played-A-Live  
  
Fatboy Slim - Yo Mama  
  
Goo Goo Dolls - Here is Gone  
  
Sugarcult - Pretty Girl (The Way)  
  
Alex Syntek - Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas (yes, it's in spanish. Expand your musical taste ;))  
  
Blu Cantrell Ft Sean Paul - Breathe  
  
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life  
  
Lamb - Lullabye  
  
Gus Gus - Is Jesus Your Pal  
  
Chantal Kraviazuk - Feels Like Home  
  
Hardknox - Attitude  
  
Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment  
  
Enigma - Modern Crusaders  
  
Vertical Horizon - Everything you Want  
  
Black Lab - Learn to Crawl  
  
Drowning Pool - Bodies  
  
Godsmack - Whatever  
  
Guana Apes - Open your Eyes  
  
Nada Surf - Ice Box  
  
Rammstein - Helleluja  
  
Seether - Out of my Way  
  
Sepultura with Mike Patton - The Waste 


	13. Drug Problems

High School Missions 13  
  
DRUG PROBLEMS  
  
SONGS FOR THIS CHAPTER  
  
Aimee Allen - Revolution  
  
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman  
  
Joan Jet - Bad Reputation  
  
Bush - Chemicals Between Us  
  
Remember, play the song when you find it! You can stop it when you see this ***** or this______ or when you run into another one.  
  
_________________________ //Aimee Allen – Revolution//  
  
"That was NOT just pot." Alec groaned.  
  
Max sat upside down on the couch, with her head hanging off it and her feet over the back. She could feel the blood rushing to her head but she didn't really care. It bugged her that she didn't seem to care about much right then but not enough to do something about it. Next to her Alec sat on the floor with his back against the couch, his head was next to Max's and he seemed able to get a better grip of himself, if only slightly.  
  
"I don't think we should've taken that last joint." Max pondered out loud.  
  
"I don't think we should've taken the first one." Alec squinted, trying to get the room into focus with little success.  
  
Max's eyes roamed the room from her upside down position. Luke and Ashley were dancing to the loud music just feet away from the two disoriented transgenics. Amanda was sitting on Sean's lap, her smaller than small skirt rode way up when she straddled him. He rubbed his hands up and down her legs, reaching her thong-clad ass and groping her roughly.  
  
Max's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she groaned. She wanted Alec to keep talking to her, it seemed to help. If she could only speak out her request.  
  
With every passing minute the effects of the drugs seemed to get more intense. That scared Alec, his system was trying to fight them off but for some reason it wasn't quite working, although it seemed to be working better for him than it did for Max who was now staring into space and not moving much except for the occasional blink which reassured Alec in some measure.  
  
'At least she's alive' He thought. He had the distinct impression that something like that should bother him more than it did.  
  
He felt his limbs relax and his mind fade. Things were getting less and less clear, and at the same time much less important.  
  
Suddenly Max sat up with such force she nearly knocked the couch over. Alec frowned and wondered where she'd gotten the energy to move.  
  
"I don't feel so good." Max announced to a room full of people who barely seemed to notice her outburst.  
  
"Bathroom's that way." Luke pointed to a door down the narrow corridor.  
  
Max was thankful for the walls as she walked, her balance was way off and she wondered how on earth those kids could dance when she could barely stand.  
  
She reached the bathroom in time but just barely. As she sank down next to the toilet bowl and heaved she could feel her mind turning to mush.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity Max found the strength and will to get up again. She stumbled on her way back to the living room and had to hold on to the door handle of Luke's bedroom to keep herself from falling. The door swung open. Nikki and Dave looked up from the bed, she looked very out of it and he didn't seem very far behind. Max then felt the presence of someone behind her and a hand on her arm. She turned around slowly, her drugged state making it impossible to move faster. It was Dade, Dave's twin.  
  
"Join us MJ, I promise you won't regret it."  
  
Max couldn't think of a reason to say no.  
  
*************  
  
Max walked into the bedroom, followed by Dade who was taking his shirt off as he went. He pushed her towards the bed and Max went down next to Nikki. Dade removed her Sketchers while Dave pulled up her shirt.  
  
Max just stared at the ceiling and let things happen, she couldn't muster up the energy nor the reasons to stop.  
  
Suddenly she was pulled to her feet by a strong arm wrapped around her midsection. The sudden movement sent her head in a spin.  
  
"Come on guys, leave her alone. She'll regret it tomorrow."  
  
Dave squinted "Alec, my man, I don't think she'll remember... I sure as hell won't."  
  
Dade held his head with both hands. "Take her to the living room Alec, I don't think she's ready for this kind of wildness yet."  
  
Alec took advantage of both his and Dade's moments of clearness and half dragged Max back to the living room. He deposited her on the couch and she groaned.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Get me out of here."  
  
Alec shook his head "Not unless you want me to get us killed. I can't even stand straight."  
  
Max closed her eyes and groaned again. Alec sat down on the couch and placed her head on his lap.  
  
"Just ride it out Max, it'll be over before you know it. Just ride it out." He whispered in her ear.  
  
She was shaking pretty badly by then and for a moment he was worried about her tryptophan needs but her shakes seemed different... more like shivers. When a few moments later he felt his hands trembling he knew he was right, it was the drugs.  
  
He hoped that was a good sign.  
  
_________________________________  
  
"Hey man, you up?"  
  
Alec groaned and shook his head "I'm not sure."  
  
Luke laughed and offered him a hand.  
  
Alec blinked a few times and tried to take in his surroundings. Max was asleep next to him, stretch out on the floor. He took Luke's helping hand and pulled himself up. He rolled his head from side to side. He was sore from falling asleep in a sitting position.  
  
"I'd let you crash for a while longer but you two need to go home and change for the carwash." Alec glanced past Luke and saw a rather perky Ashley, escorted by an equally perky Dave, leave the dorm room as if she'd gone to bed at nine the night before.  
  
"Car wash?" A confused Alec asked.  
  
"Yes, carwash. It starts at ten so you better get going. Think you're ok to drive? The first time can leave you a little disoriented for a few hours."  
  
Alec checked himself over quickly and realized he WAS in fact ok. He nodded and reached down to prod Max awake.  
  
"MJ come on get up. We have to go."  
  
Max moaned but opened her eyes just the same.  
  
"Go where?"  
  
"Home... nice pattern by the way."  
  
Alec bit his lip to keep himself from laughing when she rubbed her cheek and discovered the ugly pattern of the carpet imprinted there.  
  
She rolled her eyes and picked herself up from the floor.  
  
"I'll see you in a while then. Don't be late." Luke waved goodbye at them.  
  
They walked in silence until they reached the car. As soon as they were a few miles away from the dorms Max closed her eyes and said.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?"  
  
"No idea. How do you feel?"  
  
"Like I should be hanging with a different crowd."  
  
Alec smiled "Seriously, don't you feel... normal?"  
  
Max frowned "Yeah, so?"  
  
"Shouldn't we at least have a headache?"  
  
"Our bodies can fight off most drugs Alec."  
  
"Yeah well that didn't go so well last night did it?"  
  
Max glanced at him as he drove. "I'm more worried about the fact that the rest of the kids seemed perfectly normal. Almost as if we'd had pizza and coke last night instead of some freakish druggie group."  
  
"We should tell Logan about this right away."  
  
They parked the car in front of their house and rushed into the basement, then up the stairs and into Logan's living room.  
  
"Hey Logan!" Alec howled.  
  
Logan thundered down the stairs and stared at the two transgenics standing in his kitchen wearing wrinkled clothes and looking alert.  
  
"Hey guys, how did it go last night?"  
  
"Oh we've got so much to tell you! Got food?" Max plopped down on a stool.  
  
Alec took a box of cereal out of the cupboard and tossed it at Max, she caught it without even looking up. He then threw two bowls and a couple of spoons her way and she caught those too.  
  
"Pass the milk dude!" Alec smiled as he jumped over the breakfast bar instead of just walking around it.  
  
Logan set the milk down between the eager teenagers and frowned "Are you two high?"  
  
Max laughed "No! At least not anymore! We were... for most of the night but we're ok now."  
  
"You don't look ok. You're hopping around like the Energizer bunny."  
  
"Maybe it's a residual effect from all the shit we pumped into our systems last night." Alec shrugged.  
  
"What shit?" Logan sat down across them and Alec tossed a little transparent bag at him.  
  
"Oh you saved some? Good thinking. Glad you were conscious long enough to think of that one." Max winked in Alec's direction.  
  
"Hum guys? What exactly happened?"  
  
"Well, the 'get together' turned out to be more like a 'let's all get together and drug up' thing. We didn't think it'd affect us..."  
  
"We're immune to most drugs" Max interrupted.  
  
"... plus we didn't have much of a choice if we wanted to remain elite. The effect were pretty strange...."  
  
"And nasty."  
  
"... we passed out at some point... I think I barely stopped Max here from joining a foursome."  
  
Max frowned at him "You did?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"Not that part."  
  
"Yeah, Dave took you by surprise and pulled you into bed with Dade and... one of the blondes... or maybe it was Dade who did that... Anyway, today we woke up feeling totally normal and apparently so did the rest of the elite."  
  
"I'm feeling much better now than I did when I first woke up." Max pointed out and Alec nodded.  
  
"So do I."  
  
Logan was staring at them "So what? The elite are all junkies?"  
  
Alec frowned "I'm not sure... so far I don't exactly feel the need for another fix."  
  
"They did say this wouldn't generate an addiction." Max pointed out.  
  
"Think they were telling the truth?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Well I'll send this to Sebastian and he'll let us know for sure." Logan pointed at the white powder.  
  
Alec glanced down at his watch and cursed "Shit Max, we need to get going!"  
  
"Going where?"  
  
"Carwash!" Max jumped up from her seat and ran to the basement door. "Take the Aztec around later. We'll fill you in on anything out of the ordinary."  
  
Logan watched the transgenics go and wondered just how more out of the ordinary things could get.  
  
___________________________  
  
Max and Alec arrived at the school parking lot an hour later dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Max got instantly pulled away by the other girls and Alec watched in fascination as she followed them giggling like... well like the school girl she was pretending to be, only he wasn't sure she was really pretending.  
  
"Hey Alec! Glad you could make it. Looks like we're gonna have our work cut out for us today." Dave pointed at the row of cars already waiting to get washed. Alec couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive against Dave, after all he HAD almost shagged Max the night before. He knew he couldn't exactly blame him, they were all doped up, but still...  
  
"It's gonna be one long day. Just look at those cars man!" Sean pointed at a particular car that looked like it'd rolled over in a puddle of mud.  
  
Alec groaned "Where did the girls go anyway? They don't think we're gonna do all the..."  
  
******** Lenny Kravitz - American Woman  
  
The group of elite girls were walking towards them. Walking like they would on a catwalk and wearing rather skimpy bikinis. Max walked in the middle of the group, sporting a little black thing that accentuated her curves and showed off her perfection. Her hair was loose and it flew behind her as she walked.  
  
One of the boys opened a hose and splashed the girls with water. Most girls shrieked but Max just laughed and shook her head slowly, ridding her hair of the excess of water. Droplets made her golden skin glisten. Some larger drops of water rolled down the base of her neck and disappeared between the valley of her breasts, down the little black string holding the fabric together, past her navel and into her bikini bottom. She bit her lip as she approached Alec.  
  
He had to remind himself to breathe.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Yes Max?"  
  
She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear "You're staring."  
  
He shook his head to clear it "Yes well that American flag bikini Melissa is wearing is rather appealing."  
  
Max gave him a naughty grin and pulled his shirt up. He lifted his arms and tossed the shirt away without even stopping to wonder what was going on.  
  
"You feel like getting down and dirty?" She whispered.  
  
Alec gulped "Oh yeah."  
  
"Good." Max slapped a wet sponge against his bare chest. "You can start with that car over there."  
  
Alec's jaw dropped long enough for Max to walk past him.  
  
"Oh you're one evil woman."  
  
She glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed "Better start scrubbing sugar, the line of cars goes around the block."  
  
Alec mumbled something that sounded like 'heartless bitch', which only made Max laugh harder.  
  
"Men are so easy." Amanda giggled.  
  
Max grinned. Judging by the amount of men willing to pay good bucks to have their car washed by a few teenagers in their bathing suits Amanda had quite a point.  
  
**********  
  
Max was washing a specially dirty car when it happened. It started out as a mild cramp but escalated quickly.  
  
She leaned her head against the soapy window she'd been washing and clutched her stomach with both hands.  
  
Alec, who'd been helping out with a van that looked like it'd been used for mud wrestling, noticed this and dropped his sponge at once.  
  
"MJ?" He called out to her.  
  
Max just groaned, so he walked over to her.  
  
"What's wrong Max?"  
  
"I have cramps apparently."  
  
Alec frowned "Cramps?"  
  
"Yes Alec, cramps! Have you never heard of those? Next thing I know you'll be asking me to teach you the wonders of a Tampax."  
  
Alec smiled "I wouldn't mind a demonstration."  
  
Max punched his arm as well as she could.  
  
"Is this even normal? I mean... do you get cramps often?"  
  
"Not really. God I feel like my navel is being pulled from the inside."  
  
Alec winced "I wonder how that feels like."  
  
Max moved her hand dangerously close to his privates and said "You'll get a little taste if you don't shut up and do something about this."  
  
"Do something about your cramps?! What the hell could I do about your cramps?"  
  
Max was about to answer when a wave of pain hit her. She doubled over and moaned.  
  
"Ok, that's it. I need to go home NOW!"  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "Now? But look at all the cars we..."  
  
"NOW!" Max yelled.  
  
"Fine! Relax! Come on." He lead the way to the car.  
  
"Hey! Where are you guys going?" Sean caught up with them.  
  
"Max needs to go home and get some pills or something, she has a stomachache." Alec answered.  
  
"Cool, could I get a ride to the dorms? I forgot my cell phone and I'm expecting a call."  
  
Max considered this for a moment, it would take way too long to talk Sean out of it so she just growled a "Get in," snatched the keys away from Alec and jumped into the drivers seat.  
  
"Hey!" Alec protested.  
  
"Oh just get in!"  
  
He didn't even have time to close the door before she screeched away.  
  
__________________________  
  
// Joan Jet - Bad Reputation//  
  
"Oh my God woman look out!" Alec yelled.  
  
Max groaned, lowered her window and screamed "Hey idiot! Would you drive any better if I stuck that phone up your ass?!"  
  
"...Someone is in a hurry." Alec mumbled.  
  
"Someone is in considerable pain!" She spat at him while making a sharp turn.  
  
"You know, this wouldn't happen if you ate right. The way you guys eat I'll be amazed if you don't get a cholesterol problem by the time you hit forty. Healthy food can do wonders to your body! We are what we eat you know." Sean said while fumbling around for his seatbelt.  
  
Alec held on to the dashboard when Max made another sharp turn "If we are what we eat I'm cheap, fast and easy."  
  
"I drive too fast to worry about cholesterol." Max mumbled.  
  
"Cool bumper sticker" Alec pointed out the car ahead of them.  
  
Max stuck her head out the window and yelled "Forget world peace you asshole! Visualize using your turn signal you mother fucking piece of shit!"  
  
Sean raised his eyebrows.  
  
"You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive." Alec commented. Then he started to feel a rumbling in his stomach. The rumbling turned into a painful experience in 2 seconds flat.  
  
"MJ..."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Pull over."  
  
"I'm not gonna pull over! We're five minutes away from the..."  
  
"PULL OVER!" Alec yanked the steering wheel.  
  
"HEY! What the..."  
  
He didn't even wait to leave the car, just leaned out the window and emptied his stomach into the sidewalk.  
  
"Oh man that's nasty." Sean groaned.  
  
Max, pain and all, leaned over to rub Alec's back while he retched.  
  
"Feeling better?" She asked him after a few moments.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then stick your fucking head back in! I'm dying here!"  
  
Alec rolled his eyes and took his seat again.  
  
Max screeched to a stop in front of their house and she ran like a madwoman to the basement door. She pushed it open with her shoulder and flew straight to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
Sean turned to Alec "She threw the door open!"  
  
"It was unlocked. I forgot to lock it this morning." He lied.  
  
"Oh well, could you give me a ride to campus? I can grab my own car there."  
  
"Suuuuuoooh no!" Alec ran past Sean and into the basement.  
  
Logan was just walking around the house to see what all the commotion was when he almost crashed into Alec.  
  
"Alec what..."  
  
"Sean needs a ride!" Alec yelled.  
  
"What the hell... SEAN!" Logan turned to the teenager in surprise.  
  
"Hi Mr.. Cale. MJ and Alec aren't feeling to hot today."  
  
"You need a ride to campus?"  
  
"No, that's ok, I can walk."  
  
Logan sighed. He really wanted to go downstairs and check on Max and Alec but he couldn't risk Sean wandering around.  
  
"Hop into my car, I'll take you."  
  
"Oh don't worry about it."  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
Sean smiled "Well if you insist."  
  
"I do." Logan said with one final glance in the transgenics' direction.  
  
_______________________  
  
Alec ran past the bedroom and into the bathroom. Max yelped from her place next to the bowl.  
  
"Alec what the hell? I'd like some privacy while I turn inside out thank..."  
  
Alec knelt down next to her and retched. Projectile vomit shot out of his mouth and into the toilet, making quite a splash.  
  
"Oh my God! Could you at least try to keep it in?" Max groaned and clutched a wet towel to her forehead.  
  
Alec fell on his back next to her and grabbed his stomach.  
  
"I'm dying Max! Ugh!"  
  
"What's wrong with us?"  
  
"Must be the aftershock of the drugs."  
  
"Ok think, what could make this go away?" Max closed her eyes in concentration.  
  
A sudden noise filled the tiny room. Max turned to Alec with a face of disgust.  
  
"Did you just fart?"  
  
"No Max, that's the noise my brain makes when I think."  
  
"You are so gross." Max frowned "Oh and the smell!"  
  
"Can't help it! My insides are close to exploding! Besides, I'm IN the bathroom."  
  
Max turned a lovely shade of green and hugged the toilet bowl again.  
  
After a few minutes she laid back down on the cool floor next to a pained Alec.  
  
"You know, in the past two weeks I've been sick to my stomach more times than in... EVER!"  
  
"Max?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"If I don't make it would you make sure Sketchy gets my black book? That many phone numbers shouldn't go to waste."  
  
Max somehow managed to gather enough strength to kick him.  
  
____________________________  
  
When Logan came back he helped them move to their beds. The ill feeling continued through the day. After sundown the elite went by to check on them. Since no one mentioned anything about the illness being normal after their first taste of the drugs Max came up with the story of some funny looking shrimp.  
  
After the elite left Logan took blood samples of the two transgenics and sent them to Sebastian.  
  
They hadn't been able to hold down any food except for chicken broth so Logan made them stay in bed on Sunday as well.  
  
By monday morning the two teenagers were getting restless.  
  
"I'm sure what I'm about to say goes against some unspoken teenage rule but... I can't wait to go back to school." Max stated at five AM.  
  
"Me neither. All I wanna do is stay away from Super-Nurse-Wannabe."  
  
Max giggled. "He could've at least let us move to the couch."  
  
"He could've at least let me get up to pee yesterday." Alec pouted.  
  
The basement door burst open and the two groaned.  
  
"I heard that!" Logan complained. He was carrying an armful of papers, which he dropped on Max's bed.  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"Sebastian's research. He had to leave his lab last night and couldn't complete his analysis. All the info is right here, he just didn't have time to look through it."  
  
"So?" Alec raised an eyebrow.  
  
"So I thought... since everyone already knows you're sick..."  
  
"Oh no no no no! I'm not staying home again!" Max shook her head.  
  
"Max, this needs to be done! We need to know what went wrong with you two so we can prevent it from happening again! What if it wasn't the drugs? What if you do whatever you did to get like this again today and you end up spending another two days in my care?"  
  
"No!" Max and Alec said together.  
  
"Leave them!"  
  
"We'll look through them!"  
  
Logan smiled "Call me on my cell if you need anything."  
  
_______________________  
  
Three hours and a lot of papers later Max growled. She was lying on the bed with her legs straight up. She'd been changing positions constantly for the last hour but it did nothing to make her restlessness go away.  
  
She glanced over at Alec and noticed he had the same problem. He was currently down on all fours. A very convenient position for an ass kicking... literally.  
  
Max stuck her foot out and kicked his butt, not too hard as if not to hurt him but hard enough to knock him over.  
  
"Hey!" Alec protested.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Behave, or I'll give you a real ass kicking."  
  
Max frowned "More real than me kicking you in the ass?"  
  
"Don't test me Max."  
  
"Oh please, I've beaten you before."  
  
"...You did not beat me Max."  
  
"I so did."  
  
"I let you win! Besides, you hit below the belt."  
  
"So you think I can't take you?"  
  
"Oh I know you can't take me"  
  
"Let's go then!"  
  
"I am not going to fight you!"  
  
"Scared of proving me right uh?"  
  
Alec rolled his eyes "Oh you're on."  
  
************* //Bush - Chemicals Between Us//  
  
Max jumped off the bed, took off her shirt leaving on only her sweats and sports bra and cracked her neck.  
  
Alec did the same with his knuckles and took off his shirt before jumping up and down a few times to warm up.  
  
They got into position and circled each other a few times.  
  
"Let's go Max, come on, I'll let you give the first punch."  
  
"Oh you wish."  
  
"What? I can't really hit a girl!"  
  
"Oh right, like you care about that."  
  
"Come on! Why do you think I let you win every time we fight? Girls are weak! I can't hit a girl!"  
  
Max growled and kicked his leg. Alec reacted by punching her in the shoulder, hard, making her stumble backwards.  
  
"... not without being attacked first anyway." He smiled cockily.  
  
Max groaned "Oh now you're really gonna get it!"  
  
Alec wiggled his eyebrows "Bring it on babe."  
  
The next few minutes were a blur of kicks and punches. Alec threw Max over his shoulder and she landed on her feet. She flipped back over him expertly and punched his stomach. He grabbed her arm and pushed it behind her back, effectively trapping her between his body and her own. Max, however, refused to stay still and tried to kick him where it hurt. He lifted his knee to protect himself effectively, however the maneuver made him stumble forward a few steps and he took Max with him.  
  
Their fall was stopped by the wall pressed against Max's back. He now had her caught between his body and the wall... his hard, warm body and the cool wall.  
  
Max couldn't move. He had her pinned. His bare chest was pressed against her barely covered one. They were both panting and sweating profusely. Their faces were mere inches away from each other.  
  
Her smell intoxicated Alec. Being so close to her, alone, in a deserted house was making him dizzy. When he unconsciously rubbed her hips against his all bets were off.  
  
A growl emanated from deep down in his chest as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Max closed her eyes and surrendered to the sweet taste of him.  
  
The kiss was a forbidden one, that just fueled their excitement. He let go of her arm and she wrapped them around his neck. The kiss was hard and passionate, his tongue sought entrance to her willing mouth with a roughness that surprised Max but aroused her to no end.  
  
He moved his hands down her waist and cupped her ass. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He rubbed himself against her, wanting her to feel him as much as their clothes would let them.  
  
She tossed her head back and groaned. She used her nails to mark Alec's bare back. He sucked her lower lip between his and bit down. It was the coppery taste of blood that snapped him back to reality.  
  
He broke the kiss and let go of Max's legs but didn't move away from her. Max took a deep breath and closed her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and she accepted the calming gesture without a word. __________________________  
  
Logan was walking down the hall trying to avoid colliding with a bunch of enthusiastic teenagers giggling about something.  
  
"Mr. Cale!" He heard someone calling.  
  
He turned around and scanned the crowd but couldn't find the source of the yell.  
  
"Mr. Cale?"  
  
He glanced behind him. Sasha was right there.  
  
"Oh hey Sasha! What's up?"  
  
"I've got good news for you."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Sasha smiled "I found a way to cure that virus."  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
Yes, you could kill me but then you'd never know what happens next ;)  
  
SONGS FOR NEXT CHAPTERS (remember to get the first four or five first.)  
  
Our Lady Peace - 4 am  
  
No Secrets - That's what Girls Do  
  
Punjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke  
  
Offspring - Original Prankster  
  
Tweet - Oops Oh My  
  
Verve Pipe - Bittersweet Symphony  
  
The Donnas - Take it Off  
  
Robert Miles - Fable  
  
Mushroomhead - Sun doesn't shine  
  
Evanescence - Imaginary  
  
Linkin Park - Crawling  
  
P.O.D - Youth of the Nation  
  
Coolio - Gangster Paradise  
  
Truth Hurts ft Rakim - Addictive LP version  
  
Safari Duo - Played-A-Live  
  
Fatboy Slim - Yo Mama  
  
Goo Goo Dolls - Here is Gone  
  
Sugarcult - Pretty Girl (The Way)  
  
Alex Syntek - Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas (yes, it's in spanish. Expand your musical taste ;))  
  
Blu Cantrell Ft Sean Paul - Breathe  
  
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life  
  
Lamb - Lullabye  
  
Gus Gus - Is Jesus Your Pal  
  
Chantal Kraviazuk - Feels Like Home  
  
Hardknox - Attitude  
  
Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment  
  
Enigma - Modern Crusaders  
  
Vertical Horizon - Everything you Want  
  
Black Lab - Learn to Crawl  
  
Drowning Pool - Bodies  
  
Godsmack - Whatever  
  
Guana Apes - Open your Eyes  
  
Nada Surf - Ice Box  
  
Rammstein - Helleluja  
  
Seether - Out of my Way  
  
Sepultura with Mike Patton - The Waste 


	14. Toying With Evil

**HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS 14**  
  
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**Toying with Evil**  
  
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SONGS FOR THIS CHAPTER  
  
No Secrets - That's What Girls Do  
  
The Offspring - Original Prankster  
  
Robert Miles - Fable  
  
Mushroomhead - Sun Doesn't Rise  
  
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**WARNING!!**  
  
This chapter contains some mature material, nothing too strong but it might be a tinsy bit worse than PG-13. You have been warned.  
  
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**Previously on High School Missions**  
  
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........   
  
"Maybe we should tell you the school rules. You are not allowed to date your roommate or housemate, if they find out you're dating someone on your own building you will be relocated. The teachers like to leave optional work, you know for extra credits? But most of it is really hard, mostly the geeks are the ones who do that"  
  
"Every Friday we get a flu shot, we never get sick and no one misses school. They have been doing it for a year or so."  
  
"As for the group rules, we take small tests every week."  
  
"Tests? What kind of tests?" Max asked.  
  
"We have a hat, we call it the magic hat. Someone, anonymously, comes here every week and drops 12 pieces of paper into it. If you have an idea then you may write it down and drop it in too." Ashley told them.  
  
........   
  
A boy slowly walked up to her and sat on the seat she was saving. Max recognized him as one of the geeks  
  
"Hey, excuse me, could you sit somewhere else? I was kind of hoping to sit next to someone." Max whispered sweetly.  
  
"Hum... sure!" The guy stood up quickly and grabbed his bag. He started to walk away but changed his mind and turned around to face Max "My name is Tom by the..."  
  
"Alec!" Max called to him, he had just walked in but hadn't seen her because Tom was blocking his view.  
  
Tom stared at Alec for a moment, there was an expression on his face that Max couldn't read, but she wasn't really paying attention.  
  
........   
  
"You know, that boy has been staring at you ever since you got here."   
  
Max opened her eyes and saw Tom sitting by himself on a booth in the coffee house, looking at her.   
  
"Oh him? He's name is Todd... or Tom... something with a T. We have a class together."   
  
"Well Max, he seems really interested in you."   
  
She rolled around to look at Alec and laughed "He's a geek!"   
  
"So? You're dating their king!"   
  
Max's eyes opened wide and Alec cringed "I can't believe I said that out loud. Hit me, I deserve it for calling your star crossed lover a geek."   
  
Max laughed and instead of hitting him she gave him a quick, soft peck on the lips.   
  
Neither one of them noticed Tom, who was still watching from inside the coffee house.  
  
........   
  
Alec strode out of the bathroom with a blue towel wrapped around his waist. He sung the door open.  
  
"Hello, can I help you?" He greeted the stranger.  
  
Max, who had after her seizure removed most of her clothes only to remain in a form fitting tank top and her six-year-old boy panties, sat up in her bed and glanced at the door curiously.  
  
"Alec, who is it?"  
  
"Hum... who are you?" Alec asked the big nosed intruder.  
  
Tom glanced past a half naked Alec at Max, barely clothed and stretched out on her bed, or was it his bed?  
  
"I'm uh... sorry, my mistake." Tom turned around and walked away quickly.  
  
Alec shrugged and closed the door.  
  
"Alec, who WAS it?"   
  
"No one."  
  
........   
  
"Here, try this." She handed Max a tiny envelope with white powder inside.  
  
"Try it?" Max's eyebrows almost became one with her hairline.  
  
"Smoke it, sniff it, we have some needles around if you're into that."  
  
"Hum sorry guys but we told you before, we don't do drugs." Alec gave Dak the envelope.  
  
"This are not drugs! Well... not exactly." Ashley giggled "They'll give you a buzz but you won't get addicted! They're safe!"  
  
........   
  
Max couldn't move. He had her pinned. His bare chest was pressed against her barely covered one. They were both panting and sweating profusely. Their faces were mere inches away from each other.  
  
A growl emanated from deep down in his chest as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Max closed her eyes and surrendered to the sweet taste of him.  
  
........   
  
"I've got good news for you."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Sasha smiled "I found a way to cure that virus."  
  
........   
  
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* * *

Max and Alec had been sitting in silence next to each other for five minutes. They just couldn't seem to find anything to say. Every time Alec started to say something he thought better of it and snapped his mouth shut again. He wanted Max to speak and at the same time he didn't. He didn't think he'd be able to stand her rejection. She was bound to call the recent development of their relationship a mistake.  
  
Max had been staring at the floor where most of the papers they'd been going over for the past few hours had fallen.   
  
Alec closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"Max I..."  
  
"Alec." She interrupted him.  
  
"No, wait, let me just say..."  
  
"Alec, did you read this?" Max grabbed a sheet of paper from the floor and held it up for him to read.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This!" She pointed at the paper.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The chemical structure of the drugs we took."  
  
Alec frowned and scanned the page quickly.  
  
"Tetrahydrocannabilnol?"  
  
"It's an active ingredient in marijuana."  
  
Alec frowned "I'm looking at the chemical formula, that's not Tetrahydrocannabilnol"  
  
"The variations are uncommon and not seen in nature, Tetrahydrocannabilnol was the closest thing Sebastian could think of. It says so right there."  
  
Alec sighed "The slight chemical variation must be what makes it non addictive... and probably the reason why we're affected as well."  
  
"This means the drugs were made in a very sophisticated lab. Probably not something a bunch of teenagers can cook up in a basement."  
  
Alec bit his lip "Which means this kids are in direct contact whith whoever is doing the brainwashing."  
  
"But why give this kids drugs?"  
  
"Manticore wants to make them more tolerant to narcotics. A tolerance is built with prolonged exposure to the substance, only they don't want their elite to turn into junkies while this happens. It makes sense doesn't it? I mean they want to use this kids as soldiers later, you can't have doped teenagers running around with guns can you?"  
  
Max rubbed her forehead. "So this kids know our bad guys."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. Manticore might just be using someone to act as a dealer. We could try to track this guy down but I'm not sure we can do it without the elite finding out. They seem to know everyone and everything. We have to be very careful with this." "Yeah."   
  
Alec glanced at Max, she looked troubled.  
  
"Look Max, about before..."  
  
"Max! Are you here?!" Logan's voice came from behind the closed basement door.  
  
"Of course I'm here, you won't let us go anywhere!"  
  
Logan pushed the door open and flew down the stairs. "I have something for you."  
  
"We have something for you too." Max stood up and so did Alec.  
  
"Let me go first ok?" Logan begged.  
  
Max shrugged "Sure."  
  
Logan smiled "Ok. Are you ready?"  
  
Max was getting impatient "I'm ready! What is it?"  
  
"This."  
  
Logan showed her a small syringe with deep red liquid inside.  
  
Max frowned "What is it?"  
  
"It's the cure for the virus."  
  
Max and Alec just stared at him.  
  
"What?" She whispered.  
  
"Well it's not really a cure. In fact it's a vaccine. You see, the reason why the other scientists couldn't make a cure is because they didn't understand the virus in the first place. Everyone thought that if you touched me I'd die but the truth is, it's the other way around."  
  
Max just stared at him some more "I'm not following you."  
  
"I gave this as a school project to one of the students and she studied every possibility. You see, the real cure died with the Manticore staff, no one can re-create it but Sasha found a way around it."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Max, listen to me, the others couldn't cure it because you don't have it in you. What the doctors saw is just the catalyst. The real virus is in fact a reaction."  
  
Max and Alec were still staring, clearly lost.  
  
"Manticore really knew what they were doing Max. When the scientists analyzed your blood and tried to make a cure it never worked because they were trying to stop the catalyst, which is why that protein barrier thing you tried a few months ago worked for a little while. However the "virus" doesn't appear unless you touch me."  
  
Max blinked "I am very very lost here."  
  
Logan smiled "Your blood is perfectly normal... or almost normal, until you touch me. Then the DNA of my skin cells makes some sort of reaction with that catalyst I've been talking about and your skin becomes poisonous for a little while... to me at least. This whole chemical process happens so fast that if we touch for more than a second the infection is passed back to me by your skin cells and I... well... die."  
  
"The thing is Max, it won't last. If given a large dose of my DNA the inevitable will happen, the catalyst will have more DNA than it can process and it'll shut down, just like any organ."  
  
Max raised an eyebrow "So the only thing you have to do to cure me is..."  
  
"Inject you with my blood."  
  
"It can't be that simple."  
  
"It is Max."  
  
"No Logan it can't be..."  
  
"Max! It works, it really works. Do you want this or not?"  
  
The room became silent for ten long seconds. Max could feel Alec's hot stare at the back of her neck. Logan was just standing there, holding out a few CCs of his blood.  
  
"Of course I do, don't be an idiot." She took the syringe from him carefully and rolled up her sleeve.  
  
"Wait!" Alec said.  
  
Max stopped and turned around to face him. He took a deep breath, held out his hand and said.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
Max bit her lip and handed it to him. He took it, traced her arm with his fingers and gave her the shot.  
  
"How long?" Max asked.  
  
"Ten seconds."  
  
Alec found himself counting in his head with something that felt surprisingly like dread.  
  
Logan counted under his breath.  
  
Ten  
  
Nine  
  
Eight  
  
Seven  
  
Six  
  
Five  
  
Four  
  
Tree  
  
Two   
  
... One.  
  
Logan held out his hand. Max, after a moment, reached out and placed her smaller hand in his. Alec closed his eyes and turned away, pretending to look for the paper that he needed to show Logan what they'd discovered.  
  
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.................................................................  
  
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Max and Logan were still holding hands when they heard a knock on the door.  
  
"MJ? Alec? You guys in there?" Dak yelled.  
  
Max let go of Logan and have him a shove in the stairs direction.   
  
"We're here, come on in!" Alec yelled back while grabbing the papers that were thrown all over the floor.  
  
Dakareth walked in followed by Melissa, Nikki and Steph.  
  
"Hey guys, we heard you two are still feeling kinda off." Nikki picked up a pillow from the floor and sat down on the edge of Alec's bed.  
  
"Yeah, I'm so sick of being in here with him I actually WANTED to go to school today." Max moaned.  
  
"Well we actually wanted to take you out right now. You need a dress for the dance and it should probably be a new one since you're nominated for queen and all..."  
  
"Wait what?" Max interrupted Steph.  
  
"What? You didn't know? Sean wanted to come and ask you to go with him, since he's favorite to win king... after Alec of course but you two really shouldn't go together, anyway we didn't let him come because we want to take you dress shopping and boys only get in the way."  
  
"I don't want to be queen!" Max shrieked.  
  
"Well Dak has been queen for the past two years..."  
  
"And I'm SICK of it by the way, I'm so grateful you came along with all your cuteness and your charm. Maybe this year I'll finally get out of it." Dak said sincerely.  
  
Alec laid down on the couch and enjoyed Max's reactions. She seemed to think being queen would be the end of the world. He could almost hear her worrying about exposure and the mission but he knew better. There was no extra risk because everyone knew them already.  
  
"Well I just can't go shopping for a dress right now! I'm sick!"   
  
"Fine, but you need to do it soon. And if you do want to go with Sean you should let him know the color of your dress ASAP so he can find a matching tie." Melissa stood up and walked to the door.  
  
"We should go guys, these two need their rest."  
  
"Fine, we'll go, but you better look stunning MJ. If I win this year because your dress sucks I'm gonna beat you to a pulp." Dak seemed very disturbed by the idea of winning again that year. Max frowned.  
  
The girls said their goodbyes quickly and left. As soon as Alec closed the door behind them Max groaned.  
  
"Hey come on Max, it can't possibly be that bad!"  
  
"It must be if Dak wants to avoid it so badly."  
  
Alec frowned "That was kinda strange wasn't it."  
  
"Maybe she was just jealous and didn't want the others to know" Logan chipped in from the top of the stairs.  
  
"You were listening?" Max asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well I think she sounded sincere." Alec shrugged.  
  
"So do I... that's what worries me." Max sighed.  
  
Logan smiled and walked down the stairs "Max..."  
  
"I need a dress." She stated.  
  
"What?" Logan frowned.  
  
"A dress, I need a dress. Alec get your shoes."  
  
"My shoes?"  
  
"Yes. You're taking me shopping."  
  
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..................................................................  
  
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**%No Secrets - That's What Girls Do%**  
  
"Is this really as hideous as I think it is?" Max stuck her head out of the fitting room.  
  
"I will never know unless you let me see it." Alec, who was sitting on a couch with his head back and his legs spread pointed out.  
  
Max sighed and walked out.  
  
Alec tried very hard not to laugh but he didn't succeed... not one bit.  
  
"Oh God Max, WHAT were you thinking?" He asked between waves of laughter.  
  
"You told me to get something girly!" Max folded her arms.  
  
Alec stared at her neon pink dress with huge plastic flowers and shook his head. "That's not girly, that's masochism."  
  
"Well you won't let me wear black!"  
  
"You always wear black Max!"  
  
"Well it's a great color to blend in."  
  
"Exactly!" Alec stood up and walked over to her. "You are not going to this thing to blend in Max. You're probably going to be queen! You need to stand out."  
  
Max frowned "I could go with red."  
  
But Alec shook his head "Red is sexy, you don't need sexy. You need to look like the beautiful 17 year old you're supposed to be."  
  
Max sighed "So what?"  
  
Alec smiled "Why don't you let me dress you?"  
  
Max raised an eyebrow "Excuse me?"  
  
"Let me pick out some dresses for you to try on ok?"  
  
She shrugged "Sure, why the hell not?"  
  
Alec smiled and took off, then came back a few minutes later with an armload of dresses. Max went into the fitting room to try them out.  
  
The first one was white with some sort of pink fabric over it.  
  
"Ok, I just can't get over the pink dress you tried first. Pink is just too... bright for you."  
  
Max nodded "Great, so no pink."  
  
The second one was pale blue with a little belt at the waist.  
  
"Too... Cinderella-like." Alec shook his head.  
  
The third was bright orange.  
  
"Well... you'll stand out in that."  
  
"Yeah people will go blind."  
  
10 dresses and 40 boring minutes later Alec was about ready to kill Max. Everything looked great on her, even that hideous pink dress, the dresses just weren't good enough for her.  
  
"Ok, I think this might be it." She told him from behind the closed fitting room door.  
  
Alec, who was swinging on his chair, said "Well, let's see it then."  
  
Max opened the door and walked out. She was wearing the most beautiful red dress Alec had ever seen. Or maybe it was just Max but the dress seemed to glow on her.  
  
It was strapless and tight at the top, then went down to her waist and just flowed in a soft but full way. It wasn't a bright dress but a light one that made her look like a 17 year old princess.  
  
Alec was so stunned he fell backwards.  
  
Max stood over him and grinned cockily "So I guess this is the one uh?"  
  
Alec blushed but had to agree "Oh yeah."  
  
A few minutes later the dress was paid for and Alec walked to the door.  
  
"Wait a second mister, where do you think you're going?" Max tapped her foot.  
  
"Erm... home?"  
  
"Oh no, I still need shoes and a purse and maybe something for my hair..."  
  
Alec groaned "Oh come on Max, can't you wear something from your closet?"  
  
"Like what? Sneakers?"  
  
"It's not like anyone would notice! Trust me, with that rack no one is gonna be looking at your feet."  
  
Max slapped his arm on the way to the shoe department.  
  
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.................................................................. .  
  
The ride home, just like the ride to the mall, was a quiet one. Max didn't want to talk about what had happened between her and Alec in their bedroom a couple of hours earlier and she definitely didn't want to talk about the cure thing. She was just very confused and in incredible need of sometime alone to process everything.  
  
The shopping trip had been fun, it gave her an excuse not to think, but now she just couldn't put it off any longer. Logan was going to want to talk and she needed to have some answers for him.  
  
Alec sensed her need for space and left her alone for most of the ride. When he stopped the car in front of their house he turned around to look at her and said "Max..."  
  
"Alec don't, please just... I need..."  
  
"Time... and space. I know. I just wanted to say that if you go back to him I won't be offended or anything. Things won't change between us unless you want them to."  
  
Max sighed "Oh Alec I just... I care about you so much and you've been so great I just... I don't want to hurt you."  
  
Alec smiled softly and touched her cheek. "You won't hurt me Max. We just kissed. I care about you a lot too but you're Logan's. You've always been his. We're friends and I'll always have your back no matter what. Specially right now."  
  
Max wanted to yell at him, to tell him he was owned by no one. Part of her wanted to scream and blow up at him for calling it 'just a kiss', but part of her was relieved and grateful because he'd made the decision for her. He'd made things easy.   
  
And so she left the car and closed the door behind her.  
  
And Alec's heart shattered into a million pieces.  
  
........   
  
She closed the basement door behind her and looked around for Logan. She heard him typing away and went into the living room where she found him hard at work with some of the codes Alec had given him some time back.  
  
"Hey." She greeted him.  
  
"Oh hey Max, how did the shopping go?" Logan sat down next to her on the couch and took her hand.  
  
Max stared at their joined hands. The physical contact felt so comforting. It would be so easy to just sink into the almost stable relationship that Logan could provide.  
  
She looked up and into the sincere eyes of the man who cared for her so deeply, the man who'd always risked everything for her, the man who would gladly die for her in a heartbeat. She thought briefly of Alec, she knew he'd risked everything for her and would, just as gladly, die to save her and yet Logan's touch reminded her of a time when things had been simpler and much easier.   
  
So she smiled at him and squeezed his hand.  
  
And when he wrapped his arms around her she leaned closer to his comforting touch. And when he bent his head to kiss her she met him halfway.  
  
Yet, when his lips touched hers the wrongness of the moment hit her like a ton of bricks.  
  
Max broke the kiss and wiggled free of his embrace.  
  
"Logan... I really don't think this is the right time or place for us."  
  
Logan sighed "I was afraid you'd say that."  
  
"I mean right now you're a teacher and I'm a student and things would just be a helluva lot harder and complicated and let's face it, we can't really take any more complicatedness."  
  
Logan gave her a soft smile "I understand. I was expecting it really."  
  
Max frowned "You were?"  
  
Logan nodded "I agree. Things could get very messy for us if we tried anything right now. I actually thought about holding on to the cure until we were done with this mission but I figured things would be easier if I didn't have to run to the bathroom every time you handed in a paper."  
  
Max laughed "I'm glad you didn't."  
  
Logan smiled "So am I."  
  
"Max we have to go! It's monday, we have a meeting!" Alec yelled from downstairs.  
  
"Coming!" Max yelled back, then she smiled at Logan "Duty calls."  
  
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..................................................................  
  
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Max stared at the little piece of paper she'd just extracted from the hat.   
  
"A prank?"  
  
"In school" Dak specified.  
  
"What kind of prank?" Alec asked.  
  
"Well... since the dare doesn't say I guess it's up to you." Ashley pitched in.  
  
Max tried to hide her smile. In spite of the trouble they might get into with the prank she'd never had a chance to misbehave in a normal teenage way. Alec was smiling too.  
  
"At least we'll get in trouble together." He whispered to Max.  
  
"Not if we don't get caught."  
  
"Oh I'm not planing to."  
  
"Well I guess that's it for the dares. MJ, Alec, how are you two feeling?" Sean asked.  
  
"Much better. We'll definetly go to school tomorrow." Max sounded relieved.  
  
"Think you're up for a bit of surveillance tomorrow night?"  
  
"Surveillance?" Alec frowned.  
  
"Yeah, so far you haven't done any. We think it's time you have a go. It's not as boring as it sounds I swear, some nights it can be pretty interesting."  
  
Max glanced at Alec and then shrugged "Sure, why not!"  
  
"Great! Then it's settled."  
  
Alec took a deep breath, he knew it was time to say something, to get some answers out of the group. "Actually..." he interrupted "I was kinda wondering something."  
  
Dak frowned "What?"  
  
"Why DO we keep tabs on people from school? What do we get out of it?"  
  
Dakareth leaned forward "I explained this to MJ on the first day of school Alec. The ones who have access to the information control communications. We don't take part of rumors, we create them when they are needed . It's a way of keeping things... in check so to speak."  
  
Alec looked like he wanted to say something else but he didn't. He just shrugged and stood up to leave with the rest of the elite.  
  
The guys stayed back to put out the fire. Max walked towards their cars with the rest of the girls.  
  
"Hey MJ, can I talk to you?" Sean held her back with a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Erm... sure. What's up?"  
  
Sean smiled "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the dance."  
  
Max bit her lip. She'd been expecting the invitation but still... the thought of actually having to spend some time alone with a kid who planted security cameras on strip clubs and bars to spy on people wasn't exactly comforting. And yet, she knew it probably wasn't his fault and she could have loads of fun with him.  
  
She returned his smile "Sure, that'd be great!"  
  
"Cool. I'll pick you up Friday night then."  
  
"Cool." Max winked.  
  
"Ready to go MJ?" Alec interrupted.  
  
"Oh yeah. Come on, I'm tired."  
  
They said goodbye to the rest of the elite and got in the car.  
  
"So, going to the dance with Sean?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I should ask someone."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Dak?"  
  
"Nah, she's too much for you to handle."  
  
Alec gave Max a look "I can handle anyone."  
  
Max rolled her eyes.  
  
"FINE, I'll ask one of the blondes if you feel THAT threatened by her." He smiled cockily.  
  
Max snapped around to face him "THREATENED?"  
  
"It's ok Max, I know you want me all for yourself but I have to go to the dance with someone!"  
  
"Oh shut up!" Max slapped his arm. He laughed and kept driving.  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
. The next day went by uneventfully. Max and Alec went back to school, caught up with their work, went to football and cheerleading practice and went home.  
  
They were pleasantly surprised to notice that the headaches were gone for the time being and they weren't quite as tired as they used to be before their weekend of forced rest.  
  
Max and Logan were being pleasant to each other. They took every chance they got to pass something to one another, it gave them a sense of freedom after all those months of watching their every move.  
  
Alec noticed this. He also noticed how they never spent any time alone and how things hadn't changed between him and Max, neither for better nor for worse.  
  
They were all a little confused and unsure of what to think so they did the only thing they could, NOT think.  
  
That night the two transgenics reported to the shed behind the mantion at 8pm, ready for a night of "looking out"  
  
Sean and Amanda were there when they got there. Amanda showed them the ropes quickly and the two teenagers left, leaving Max and Alec alone to keep an eye out and do a bit of investigating on their own.  
  
Max sat down in front of a computer and scrolled down through hundreds of files that the elite had saved from their surveillance. She scratched her head and let her hair down, then thought better of it and pulled it up into a pony tail.  
  
"Are those in txt format?" Alec leaned down behind her.  
  
"Yeah, they are just little notes on everyone."   
  
"Look here's Logan's. It says that he gave a special project to a student, must've been the cure thing..."  
  
Alec kept looking through the files while Max checked the surveillance cameras.  
  
After a few minutes of silence Alec sighed. He wanted to play things cool, he didn't want to seem intrested in Max's personal life but not knowing what was going on with her and Logan was just killing him.  
  
'I don't need an excuse to ask how things are going. She's my friend! I can ask her whatever I want!' He concluded.  
  
"Hey Max..."  
  
"Oh My God! Alec come here!"  
  
Alec frowned and rolled his chair over to her.  
  
"Max wha... What the fuck?!"  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
Alec opened the door for Max and they both stepped into their apartment.   
  
"Ok, how incredibly weird was that?" Max said once they were in the privacy of their bedroom.   
  
"Very weird. I have lab with one of those boys. He's a good kid!"   
  
Max shook her head "Something is very wrong. Logan!" She screamed.   
  
He appeared at the top of the stairs a few moments later.   
  
"Hey you're back! How did it go?"   
  
Max frowned, it was 3 am and Logan seemed wide awake. Plus he was still wearing his street clothes.   
  
"Were you up?"   
  
"Yeah, couldn't sleep so I thought I'd have another go at that info Alec brought two weeks ago."   
  
"Well we have some new info for you, we were doing surveillance on a couple of clubs, three bars, a drugstore and a coffeehouse that's always open." Alec sat down on his bed and took off his shoes.   
  
Max continued. "We discovered a boy from school sitting at one of the bars sipping something that looked like vodka, then out of nowhere another boy from school barged in, he made his way to the bar and punched the other kid. It got pretty violent really fast."   
  
"The elite keeps some kind of record on the students and teachers, Small files of their activities, who they like, who they hate, who they date, what they eat... it's all there."   
  
"They even know you like to cook!" Max interrupted.   
  
"So anyway," Alec continued "We cross referenced the two boys and came up with only one thing..."   
  
"They have math together and three days ago the teacher gave them a quiz. Those two are at the top of their class. The beated got a 97 on his test, the beater got a 95."   
  
Logan frowned and sat down next to Max on her bed. "That's it?"   
  
"As far as we know yeah, even though I don't believe the words beater and beated are accurate. The other guy put up a good fight. After like five seconds you couldn't really tell who'd started it! It took six grown men to break them up."   
  
"Six?" Logan whistled.   
  
"Yup. It was insane. They punched each other so hard... one of them has a dislocated shoulder, the other one is sporting a broken nose, they both broke several ribs..." Max seemed very confused.   
  
"Who were the boys anyway?"   
  
"Mark Ryans and Josh McCane."   
  
Logan sat up a little straighter "That's impossible. I'm their teacher... Mark is shorter than Max! And Josh... well he screamed like a girl when someone found a roach in the classroom last week."   
  
"Well... it normally wouldn't make any sense but their strength can probably be explained by the gene therapy they give them every week and the intense gym classes." Alec chipped in.   
  
"Yes but that still doesn't explain their behavior." Max pointed out.   
  
Logan rubbed his eyes "Sebastian did say something like this might happen to some kids remember? Not all of them can take the intense enhancement."   
  
"If the therapy is driving them crazy then we have a real problem in our hands." Max grabbed one of Alec's t-shirts from his drawer and took off her shirt. "The longer it takes for us to stop this the worse it gets."   
  
Logan frowned. Neither Max nor Alec seemed to notice or care about the fact that she was standing shirtless in front of them while she slipped on Alec's shirt. He wondered to himself if they were all just getting too comfortable around each other or if it had something to do with the dares and little tests the elite made them do.   
  
"Oh hey! What dares did you get anyway?"   
  
"We have to do a prank." Alec rolled his eyes.   
  
"I was thinking some stink bombs in the bathrooms." Max suggested.   
  
"Better yet, stink bombs in the air ducts." Alec smiled.   
  
"Oohh how nasty!" Max smiled too. "Maybe they'll even cancel classes for the day! Lets do it tomorrow. I have a nasty chem test that I don't feel like taking."   
  
Alec frowned "You know the whole chem text book by heart."   
  
"So? I still don't feel like taking it!"   
  
Alec winked "I'll get some stink bombs before homeroom."   
  
"Third period?"   
  
"You're on!"   
  
Logan tried to hide his own smile. Watching the two transgenics go from soldiers to teenagers was quite an amusing thing to do.   
  
"You should get some rest guys. Let me think this thing over. Maybe we're missing something."   
  
Alec yawned. "Yeah, that seems like a good idea." He took off his shirt and jeans and crawled into bed.   
  
"Good night." Max said to Logan.   
  
He leaned down and kissed her forehead "Get some rest." Her forehead felt somewhat hot to him but he figured he was just not used to her high transgenic temperature.  
  
The teenagers were already asleep by the time he reached the top of the stairs, yet he felt wide awake so he sat down in front of his computer and punched in a few codes. The surveillance feed from when Max and Alec had been stuck inside the mansion popped up. Logan saw for the millionth time how Alec trapped Max between himself and the wall and whispered something in her ear. He saw her giggle and push him away playfully.   
  
Logan took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He'd been waiting until they had the cure to tell Max and Alec about his discovery. He knew they'd want to know that he'd figured out what the numbers were for, he knew they'd like to help him check some of the past videos for clues and yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Not yet anyway.   
  
So he leaned forward and continued to check the videos. There were more than ten thousand codes, which meant more than ten thousand important recordings from the hundreds of cameras placed all over town and in the campus.   
  
It was going to take forever.   
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
**%The Offspring - Original Prankster%**  
  
"Ouch! That was my toe you know?"   
  
"Sorry Max but you think you could crawl a little faster? It's getting a little claustrophobic in here. Not that I mind having your ass so close to my face but still..."   
  
Max would've hit him if she could just reach him. Unfortunately the air-ducts were not as wide as they'd hoped and Alec insisted on placing 10 bombs in strategic places. She still couldn't believe someone had taken the time to invent stink bombs that could be detonated with a remote trigger.   
  
"Ok, here's where we split." Max informed Alec.   
  
"Finally! You go left, I'll go right. We'll meet back here in five minutes."   
  
Max nodded and they took off in opposite directions.   
  
Once her five bombs were in place she crawled back to the meeting point. Alec was already there, waiting for her.   
  
"Took your time?" He teased.   
  
"Ha ha. The lab is way farther than the gym."   
  
"Don't make excuses Max, we've always known you can't possibly keep up with me."   
  
Max rolled her eyes. "let's go smart-ass, before someone misses us."   
  
She went in front of him again. When they reached the boys bathroom, which was their safest bet at leaving the ducts undetected, Max went past the opening and removed the lid of the vent.   
  
"Do you have the trigger?" She asked him.   
  
"Right here." He took it out of his pocket and showed it to her.   
  
The next couple of seconds went by in slow motion. The trigger slipped from his grasp. They both saw it fall slowly and reached for it but only succeeded in banging their heads together.   
  
The little remote fell and the floor connected with the red button. They heard the distinct boom of stink bombs going off and cringed.   
  
"We need to get out of here." Max made a move to drop to the floor but at that exact moment a teacher walked in.   
  
Alec grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him.   
  
"Hold your breath." He whispered in her ear.   
  
They could tell the stink was pouring out of the ducts in waves by the teacher's face. He looked around wildly and then ran out of the room, drawn to the hall by the scream of the students.   
  
Alec released Max and they both dropped to the white tiled floor. Still holding their breaths they ran into the hall where the confusion served as cover for their inexplicable actions.   
  
They ran down the halls towards the exit with the rest of the students. Alec grabbed Max's hand and pulled her to the front of the mob. Logan was just opening the door of his classroom when the transgenics ran by. Max flashed him a grin, a terrible mistake.   
  
The smell flooded her mouth and nose.   
  
"Woah! Shit, those things are strong!" She yelled.   
  
Alec pushed the front door open and took a deep breath of fresh air. Max pulled him to the side, away from the herd of students scrambling to get out.   
  
They stood there and watched the scene. She caught his eye and laughed. Soon they were sitting down on the grass, clutching their sides and laughing like mad.   
  
They didn't stop until the elite surrounded them.   
  
"Very nice, You got them from Frank?" Ashley asked.   
  
"Yup." Alec was still grinning.   
  
"He's the best, man!" Dade shook Alec's hand and Dave patted his back.   
  
"Wait, how did you know it was us?" Max asked.   
  
"Well other than the timing? You guys reek." Dak said sweetly.   
  
Max smelled her shirt and made a gagging sound "Damn! We kinda got the first hit of the wave."   
  
"Do you think they'll cancel the rest of the classes?" Alec asked them.   
  
"For this? Oh honey it was good but it was not THAT good. Classes start again after lunch."   
  
Max moaned "And we'll have to smell ourselves for the rest of the day?"   
  
Dak laughed "You shouldn't be punished like that for such a great prank. Let's go to my dorm room. MJ can borrow one of my shirts and Alec, I'll give you one of Seans"   
  
The walk to Dak's dorm wasn't long at all but even though it was the middle of October Max was feeling a little hotter than usual.   
  
"Is it hot out here or what?" She asked out loud while fanning herself with her hand.   
  
Alec frowned "I don't feel anything. Must be the excitement MJ."   
  
"Yeah..." she sighed "... that must be it."   
.  
........   
.  
But by that afternoon the heat had just gotten worse, at least for Max.   
  
Alec was starting to feel it too, something wasn't quite right even though he didn't feel that much warmer. He just felt off.   
  
"Let's just hope it's not another weird side effect." Max was lying on her bed wearing a tiny tee and boxers. She could feel the covers sticking to the exposed skin of her back and her hair clinging to her sweaty neck.   
  
"Oh don't even say that or Logan is gonna lock us in here for another three days."   
  
"Ok, seriously, it's way too hot in here. It's driving me mad!" She rolled over in her bed and bit her pillow.   
  
"Well there's nothing we can do! Unless you want me to rub ice-cubes all over your skin." He wiggled his eyebrows.   
  
To his surprise Max didn't reply with a death threat but with a groan "Would you mind? That'd be great!"   
  
Alec frowned. He'd been joking of course but if she was hot enough to agree with him then she definitely needed to cool down.   
  
He walked over to their small freezer and grabbed a few ice cubes. Max watched him walk. His silk boxers, the only thing he had on, stuck to his moist skin a little.   
  
She watched him until he reached her bed, then she sat up and turned her back to him. He took one of the ice cubes between his fingers and ran it lightly over her back, She groaned and leaned into his touch.   
  
"Oh god that feels great." She closed her eyes.   
  
He bit his lip and pressed the ice against her a little harder. She grabbed the hem of her tee and pulled it up a few inches to give him access to her lower back.   
  
Alec had to bite himself harder to keep from moaning. He could tell she wasn't wearing anything underneath and he itched to touch her.   
  
He pressed the ice cube against her back and then ran it around her flat stomach, circling her with his arms in the process.   
  
He felt more than heard her quick intake of breath when he dropped the cube into her boxers.   
  
She leaned her head against his shoulder and groaned. He tilted her face towards him and bent down to kiss her.   
  
The kiss wasn't soft, not even at the beginning. He pressed her lips against hers so hard she would've been concerned about bruises if she'd given a shit.   
  
She turned around in his arms and returned the forceful kiss. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down on his lap. She moved erratically, rubbing herself against him in an almost painful way.   
  
He groaned, hid his face in her neck and bit down. She moaned in pleasure and pain but something about the taste of her blood forced Alec back to consciousness for a few seconds, which was long enough for him to realize what was going on.   
  
"Logan!" He yelled with such urgency that the older man yanked open the basement door only seconds later. He saw the two transgenics and their tangle of limbs.   
  
"What the hell is going on here?" He asked.   
  
"Hormones!" Alec answered without leaving the warmth of Max's arms. "Punch me Logan!"   
  
"Wha..."   
  
"Do it now!"   
  
Logan frowned but walked over to the couple and punched Alec much harder than he'd been expecting.   
  
Alec groaned and untangled himself from a seriously upset Max who complained in a colorful language.   
  
"Oh god Max, you're in heat aren't you?" Logan asked as Alec took several steps back in an attempt to slow his body down.   
  
"She's in what?!"   
  
"Heat! You know... like with cats!"   
  
Alec raised an eyebrow "Heat uh? What an... accurate term."   
  
But Max had gotten tired of all the talk and the smell of testosterone was driving her insane.   
  
She crawled to the edge of the bed and licked her lips, smiling at Logan.   
  
"Hey you" She whispered.   
  
Logan gulped "Maybe we should... ahem... take this to my bedroom."   
  
"No! What are you nuts?" Alec yelled.   
  
"What? Can't you see she needs me?"   
  
"Oh and how I need you baby." Max grinned.   
  
"Logan, right now she needs anything with a dick and a pulse, pretty much in that order. Besides, is this how you want your first time with her to be?"   
  
That seemed to slap Logan back to earth "No. You're right. What can I do?"   
  
"Take her upstairs and lock her in the attic."   
  
"But..."   
  
"Do it now before I lose control!"   
  
"Alec we can't just..."   
  
"Logan, if you don't lock her in the attic RIGHT NOW I'm gonna kill you on my way to her."   
  
Logan gulped again and grabbed Max's arm.   
  
"Come on, let's go upstairs."   
  
"Oh that's what I'm talking about baby!" She purred.   
  
Fifteen minutes later Logan was back in the basement and Alec was trying to clean the wounds that Max had inflicted on him.   
  
"This is a pretty nasty bite, why on earth did you turn your back to her?"   
  
"I was trying to close the door!"   
  
They could still hear her screams coming from upstairs.   
  
"Let's just hope no one hears her." Logan yelped when Alec cleaned the bite. "I thought they'd cured this."   
  
"Who, Manticore?"   
  
"Yeah, it'd been almost a year since her last heat."   
  
Alec shrugged "It probably happened like it did with the seizures. They started to cure her but she wasn't around long enough for her to finish."   
  
"So the other female X-5's don't go into heat?"   
  
"Not anymore. They used to, when we were young teenagers, but they found a way to get rid of it. Long term undercover ops can't turn into sex-crazy females every three months can they?"   
  
"Guess not. So what are we going to do with her?"   
  
"Keep her locked up for 48 hours. We'll have to come up with an excuse for her missing school."  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
"So MJ is where?" Dade leaned across the lunch table and took one of Steph's carrots.  
  
"At home, in bed. And she's made me promise never to cook anything ever again."  
  
Melissa shook her head "I still can't believe you made her sick."  
  
"Are you kidding? I can't believe she ate anything that she knew I'd cooked by myself! Besides, I tasted those mac & cheese, they tasted like dead feet!" Alec waved his fork around while he gestured wildly. "How she managed to swallow a whole plate of stinkin', soggy macs will always be a mistery to me."  
  
"Well I hope she gets better soon. I'd hate for her to have to miss the dance because of crappy food."   
  
Dak snorted "What you'd hate would be to have to go stag if she doesn't show, Sean."  
  
"Hey! I care about her! She's one of us."  
  
Dak's smile softened "Yeah, you're right. Maybe we should check up on her after school."  
  
"NO!" Alec said just a bit louder than he'd intended. "I mean... you don't wanna do that! She's been throwing up all over the place. In fact, there's so much puke on the floor we just gave up trying to mop and started covering it up with newspapers... the smell is almost unbearable but it beats having to rinse the mop with my bare hands to get all the chunks of food out... "  
  
Iker cringed, Nikki pushed away her hot lunch and Leo covered his mouth with his hand but Stephanie just patted Alec's back sympathetically and said. "We should still go and help you clean up. You obviously can't do it all by yourself!"  
  
Dak chose that exact moment to lean across Alec for the salt. She stopped halfway, frowned and turned around to face him. Their eyes connected for a fraction of a second before she pulled back and said "No, come on guys. I think they need some space. If MJ is feeling as crappy as Alec says she is she won't want company for a while. We can check up on her tomorrow night, I'm sure Alec can handle things for 48 hours."  
  
Alec just had to turn around and stare. It was all simply too much to be a coincidence. It was almost as if she knew exactly what was going on, as if she'd smelled it on him, but that wasn't possible... was it?  
  
"So guys, tell me again, when did you all meet?" He asked, taking a leap to see if facts matched.  
  
"Well, my brother and I met Nikki, Luke and Melissa in third grade." Dave said.  
  
"Sean, Steph, Iker and Leo transferred in forth." Melissa continued.  
  
"And Ashley, Amanda and Dak joined us in seventh grade."   
  
Alec frowned "Seventh grade? That was six years ago!"  
  
"Yeah! Wanna see a pic? I have one in my wallet." Luke showed him and sure enough, the 12 of them were sitting under a huge tree, smiling widely and looking quite young.  
  
'Well that rules out some weird psy ops trick.' Alec thought.  
  
"This is a great pic, were you best friends back then?"  
  
"We've always been best friends. It's almost like we were destined to be a group." Dak smiled sweetly at him "And now you and MJ have joined us, and we couldn't be happier."  
  
"Yeah..." Alec couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. "... yeah."  
.  
........   
.  
"Hey Alec." Dak whispered to him on their way to class after lunch.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You might want to ask Amanda to the dance. She's been waiting for you to do so for days you know?"  
  
Alec frowned "Why Amanda?"  
  
"Because she used to go with Sean to every dance but now that you and Max joined us we had to do some moving around. She's the one who's going with you. Go ask her before she gets to class. Oh and her dress is pink FYI, make sure you don't wear something like a shit green tie."  
  
Alec's frown deepened as Dak walked away. He hated the idea of being told what to do and who to do it with but seeing as he hadn't thought about the dates for the dance until now he recognyzed that he didn't have much choice. So he swallowed his pride and ran to catch up with Amanda.  
  
"Hey!" He stepped in front of her.  
  
"Hi there." The small girl with straight blonde hair looked up to meet his eyes.  
  
"I know it's very last minute but I was wondering if you'd go to the dance with me. Unless you have plans with someone else, in which case I'd totally understand."  
  
Amanda smiled and tossed her long blonde hair away from her face. "Sure I'll go with you, I'll just move a couple of things around. Pick me up at my place tomorrow night?"  
  
"Of course." Alec winked.  
  
Amanda giggled and walked away, leaving Alec alone to admire the power of his own charms.  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
Logan was sitting on Alec's couch with his head between his legs when Alec got home.  
  
"Logan? What are you doing down here?"  
  
"I took some food upstairs for Max, I made a little opening on the door to slide it through. She started talking to me and I just..."  
  
Alec panicked "Logan did you..."  
  
"No! No I just left... but boy I wanted to. It took every ounce of self restrain I posses to make me leave that door."  
  
Alec sighed with relief and sat down next to Logan on the couch.   
  
"Had you ever been around when this happened before?"  
  
"Not exactly, no."  
  
Alec frowned "I didn't think it'd affect humans the way it affects us."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow "Humans?"  
  
"Well normal humans like you."  
  
Logan tossed his head back "Yeah well I didn't think it'd affect me either and here I am 2 floors away hiding from her."  
  
A few minutes passed in silence before someone spoke again.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't think I can go back up there."  
  
Alec turned around "Logan you have to! If you think what you experienced at luch was bad you multiply that by a thousand and that's how it is for me. God I can smell her right now and it's slowly driving me insane. If I go anywhere near the attic I'll claw my way through the ceiling to get to her."  
  
Suddenly a noise came from upstairs. Max was moving some stuff around in the attic, no doubt trying to stay busy and take her mind off things. She probably gave up soon because they heard a crash and a moan of frustration.  
  
"It's gonna be a long..."  
  
"26 hours, 32 minutes and 12 seconds."  
  
Logan glanced at Alec.  
  
"Approximately of course."  
  
"Of course." Logan smiled.  
  
.  
  
........   
  
.  
  
Logan spent that night in the basement with Alec; neither one of them slept much. Logan was too wired and Alec was too jumpy.  
  
"You know..." Alec talked with his mouth full of popcorn. "If you ever tell anyone about this I swear I'll snap your neck in half."  
  
Logan didn't even glance at him "Just watch the movie Alec."  
  
"I just don't want anyone to know there was a red blooded woman upstairs hot and ready to get down and dirty and I spent the night in the basement with you."  
  
Logan glared at Alec "Hey that's my..." but he let the sentence hang, after all he wasn't sure where he and Max stood anymore.  
  
Alec sighed "I wish I could get some sleep but her scent is still too strong."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's driving me nuts."  
  
Alec sat up a little straighter and frowned "What do you mean?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About knowing what I mean."  
  
"Well the state she's in makes me want to... I mean... no one could resist..."  
  
"Logan?" Alec interrupted.  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Can you... smell her?"  
  
Logan frowned "Smell her how?"  
  
"Right now, if you close your eyes, can you smell her scent?"  
  
Logan tried that and frowned "I think I can. She must be giving it off in waves."  
  
Alec shook his head "As far as I know that's never happened before. Normal humans are not affected by the pheromones of her cycle... at least they can't smell them! Or so I thought."  
  
Logan's jaw dropped "You think maybe something they did is making me react?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe."  
  
Logan swallowed a mouthful of popcorn and sighed. "Things just keep getting better and better."  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
Friday morning came and went. Alec had managed to escape the weekly 'flu shot' by being late.   
  
By the time Alec got home he could tell Max's hormones had settled down. He climbed the stairs to the second floor slowly, giving himself plenty of time to back out if he caught so much as a wiff of pheromones but he didn't.  
  
"Max?"  
  
"Alec? Hey I'm ok now, could you let me out?"  
  
With one final sniff Alec said "Yeah." And removed the insane amount of stuff Logan had used to keep the trapdoor shut.  
  
Max climbed down with Alec's help a few moments later.  
  
"Hey." He greeted her once she was safely on the ground.  
  
"Hey yourself."  
  
Silence ruled among them for what seemed like hours.  
  
"We should probably start getting ready for the dance." Alec broke it and turned away from her.  
  
"Hey Alec!"  
  
He stopped halfway down the stairs. "Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Alec smiled "Come on Max, I have a bath ready for you."  
  
.  
  
........   
  
.  
  
"So who are you going with anyway?" Max asked from behind the closed bathroom door.  
  
"Oh... Amanda. I'm picking her up at eight."  
  
"Oh. I like her, she's nice."  
  
"Yeah, she is."   
  
"Yeah."  
  
A minute went by in silence. Alec slipped on his shoes and yelled "Max, are you almost done? Sean is gonna be here any..."  
  
Max opened the door. The dress looked even more spectacular then than it did at the store. The top part hugged her every curve and the skirt flowed around her, a few inches away from her skin making her a vision in red. Her makeup was soft and flawless, her lips were painted red but softened by gloss. Her hair was neither up nor down. It was curly and perfect, let loose for the most part but held up on one side by a tiny silver clip that matched her necklace and earrings.  
  
"Wow." Alec could do nothing but stare in awe.  
  
"Alec, you're not ready! Your tie isn't even done, you really shouldn't be late." Max walked up to him and grabbed the ends of his tie to do it for him.  
  
Alec watched her work still unable to take his eyes away from her.  
  
She was adjusting his tie when he stopped her eager hands with his.  
  
"Max, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life."  
  
Max blushed at his comment and frowned at his honesty. She was about to say something when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it." Max walked away from him and the moment was lost.  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
The gym was decorated beautifully with blue and silver banners and balloons everywhere. Fairy lights adorned the banisters, hoops and everything else that needed a transformation for the event. A stage had been set up at the far end of the gym.  
  
Alec looked around for Max but he only found Logan standing guard by the punch bowl with Mr. Watson, their math teacher. He looked bored to tears and appeared to be scanning the crowd for Max too.  
  
"Do you want to sit down for a while or would you rather dance?" Amanda, who looked cute and princess-like in her pale pink dress, asked.  
  
"Could we sit down for a little while? I don't really feel like dancing yet."  
  
"Sure!" She let him guide her to one of the many small tables that had been set up where the bleachers usually were.  
  
"So Alec, tell me a little about yourself."  
  
Alec smiled "Oh like you don't know everything there is to know about me already."  
  
"Well I know facts and figures but nothing about the real you. You strike me as a really nice person who's been through a lot, I just want the pleasure of knowing who you really are."  
  
And so Alec started a tale of made up problems at home and a loveless childhood. Of course, not everything happened to be made up.  
  
.  
  
........   
  
.  
  
Max had been dancing with Sean for most of the night.   
  
They'd been laughing and slow dancing and whispering in each other's ears funny comments about other people's choice of attires all night. He wanted to stay close to the stage because his roommate Nikki was announcing the king and queen and she tended to get nervous in front of an audience even though Sean assured Max that it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be.  
  
"She used to have the worst stage fright I'd ever seen. She'd shake and sweat in front of a crowd and just freeze up. She still gets a bit ruffled but at least she's up there.   
  
Max glanced up and saw Nikki. She was talking with someone about the envelope she now held in her hand. She looked awfully calm for someone who'd suffered of stage fright recently.  
  
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our first dance of the year! You have selected your king and queen and we will be announcing the winners right now!"  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at Nikki, most of them had knowing smiles on their faces, as if they knew for sure the outcome of the elections already.  
  
Everyone was watching except for 4 people. Alec and Amanda, who were still deep in conversation and seemed unaware of the world around them, Tom, the greasy, black haired geek who was sitting alone on a table and seemed to be unable to take his eyes off Max and Logan, who'd just noticed among the sea of eager teenagers the strangeness of Tom's actions.  
  
"And this year's new king and queen are..."  
  
Max bit her lip and looked around for Alec once more but the mob of teens made it impossible for her to find him. She was getting a little worried.  
  
"Alecsander and Maxine Jane!"  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
**%Robert Miles - Fable%**  
  
The crowd roared and erupted into applause. Sean was clapping just as hard as anyone else when he gently pushed Max in the direction of the steps.  
  
Max climbed the steps while scanning the crowd but Alec was nowhere in sight. Nikki and Dave pulled her to the center of the stage and handed her a dozen red roses and a tiara.   
  
She stood on tiptoes and looked around for the king once again. What she saw made her stomach turn.  
  
.  
  
........   
  
.  
  
Alec hadn't even heard his name. He couldn't believe how great it felt to talk to someone who'd be awed by everything he said. Amanda paid him the kind of attention he only got from Max when he revealed some deep dark secret from his past to her.  
  
Amanda gave him a wide eyed look that made him feel like she'd die if he didn't continue with the invented stories of his childhood. Max never responded to his trivial stories the way Amanda did. True, most of the stories he was feeding her were nothing more than made up bullshit to keep her happy, he knew he'd never share a connection like the one he shared with Max with anyone else in the whole planet, ever, and still at that moment he wanted nothing more than to keep talking to Amanda, just to feel needed for a little while.  
  
So when Nikki said his name he didn't even notice until some kid gave him a pat in the back that could only mean he'd won.   
  
Amanda shrieked and stood up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.  
  
.  
  
........   
  
.  
  
She saw him kissing Amanda back, she saw him running towards the stage, giving high fives every few steps to those who offered their palms, she saw him climb the steps and accept the crown that Nikki placed on his head with glee, she saw him turn to her and smile but the funny feeling she had in her gut kept her from smiling back.  
  
She wanted nothing more than to run away, to get down from that stage, go home and crawl into bed. And she didn't have the faintest idea why.  
  
So as soon as the music played and people started dancing again she lifted her dress and walked down the steps.  
  
"MJ?" Alec called behind her but she didn't turn around.   
  
"MJ? Are you ok? You look kinda pale." Sean was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.  
  
"Actually I'm not feeling so hot. Would you mind giving me a ride home?"  
  
Sean frowned "Not at all! Come on, let's go. I'll get our coats."  
  
Alec tried to run after her but he got intercepted by Amanda, who wrapped her arms around him again and hugged him tightly yelling words of congratulations in his ear.  
  
Logan saw Max almost running out of the gym with Sean and a few moments later he saw Tom walking out after them.  
  
Something didn't seem quite right to him so he abandoned his post by the punch bowl and went to look for Alec.  
  
.  
  
..................................................................  
  
.  
  
**%Mushroomhead - Sun Doesn't Rise%**  
  
Max said good night to Sean in the car, thanked him for the ride and the dance and refused to let him walk her in, claiming that she was feeling ill and wanted nothing more than to get out of her dress before her stomach gave up on her and she ended up ruining it.  
  
So she walked in alone and threw herself down on her bed without bothering to lock the door.  
  
She curled into a ball and hugged her pillow to her chest. She had no idea why she felt the way she did or why it bothered her so much to see Alec with Amanda.   
  
'It's just probably because we're on a mission. He should keep his head low and his mind on the prize.' She thought.  
  
At that moment she heard the door swing open slowly but she didn't bother to look up.  
  
"I'm not feeling well Alec so just leave me alone."  
  
But she could hear him walking towards her anyway.  
  
"Alec I said..." She stopped abruptly. She'd just noticed something. The steps seemed louder somehow, heavier. Not at all like the graceful steps that Alec usually took.  
  
She tried to turn around and get into a fighting stance but by then it was too late. He was on top of her, holding her down.  
  
She struggled and tried to throw him off but his strength surprised her to no end. He pressed his greasy long nose to her hair and inhaled in a way that made Max's skin crawl.  
  
"I thought you were different. At first you seemed like you might actually pay some attention to me. I thought you'd notice me but you're just like all the rest. You toy around with boys, you play their stupid games! You are just a pretty little slut who jumps from bed to bed. Well tonight..." He licked her face from chin to forehead. "We'll be jumping on this bed."  
  
Max wanted to scream, to get away from him but she was terrified. He was holding both her hands with one of his above her head and no matter how hard she struggled she couldn't gain any ground. One of his knees was pressed against the bed between her legs, holding her hips down effectively with his weight and keeping clear of any kind of kick she might try to deliver.  
  
He used his free hand and foot to rip the side of her dress. The sound of tearing fabric only escalated her fear.  
  
"Get off me you freak!" She struggled with all her might but he didn't even seem to notice. His strength seemed to be superior than hers, greater than anything she'd ever seen.  
  
"Shut up bitch. Relax and cooperate."  
  
Max was hyperventilating. She shook her head and cried out when his sweaty hands tore the top of her dress in half.   
  
At that moment she looked up into his eyes and yelped.  
  
His usually plain brown eyes now reflected the madness within him. Up until then she'd been too in shock to really believe what was happening, after all she was a genetically engineered killing machine, a silly little teenager would never be able to overpower her but now that she could see the crazyness, the evil, she felt much less confident.  
  
And it was until she realized that she was going to lose that fight that she screamed.  
  
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* * *

Don't look at me like that, I'm not that evil! ... well yeah I am but I don't suck that much ;) There is an explanation for this, if you haven't figured it out yet it'll come in the next chapter. 

And sorry about the dots, just hates me like that.  
  
Anyway I need some reviews guys, we're nearing the cool chapters now and if you want me to continue this I need you to let me know! No reviews, slower chapters. I really can't help it.  
  
Oh and could you guys tell me if anyone is using the music thing? Does it help? Is it just stupid?  
  
Here are the songs for the next... oh wait! Thank you Panda for pushing me into this ;)  
  
Ok, now the songs:  
  
Evanescence - Imaginary  
  
Linkin Park - Crawling  
  
P.O.D - Youth of the Nation  
  
Coolio - Gangster Paradise  
  
Truth Hurts ft Rakim - Addictive LP version  
  
Safari Duo - Played-A-Live  
  
Fatboy Slim - Yo Mama  
  
Goo Goo Dolls - Here is Gone  
  
Sugarcult - Pretty Girl (The Way)  
  
Alex Syntek - Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas (yes, it's in spanish. Expand your musical taste ;))  
  
Blu Cantrell Ft Sean Paul - Breathe  
  
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life  
  
Lamb - Lullabye  
  
Gus Gus - Is Jesus Your Pal  
  
Chantal Kraviazuk - Feels Like Home  
  
Hardknox - Attitude  
  
Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment  
  
Enigma - Modern Crusaders  
  
Vertical Horizon - Everything you Want  
  
Black Lab - Learn to Crawl  
  
Drowning Pool - Bodies  
  
Godsmack - Whatever  
  
Guana Apes - Open your Eyes  
  
Nada Surf - Ice Box  
  
Rammstein - Helleluja  
  
Seether - Out of my Way  
  
Sepultura with Mike Patton - The Waste


End file.
